Religious Sites

Romainmôtier Priory
The priory Romainmôtier was built on the site of the oldest Romanesque building in Switzerland, a monastery from the 5th century. The current building was built from 990 to 1028 as a Cluniac abbey. From the sixteenth century and until the spread of Protestantism, the priory lost considerable importance and was partially abandoned. Restored in the 20th century, the priory is now a Protestant church.
Abbey of Saint Gall
St. Gallen Abbey, founded in 613, is the oldest monastery in Switzerland. Very little remains of the medieval abbey. Most of the buildings, including the abbey church, were built between 1755 and 1768 in the Baroque style. Its rococo library is one of the most important monastic libraries in the world, housing one of the most comprehensive collections of early medieval manuscripts in German-speaking Europe.
Great St Bernard Hospice
The Great St Bernard Hospice, situated at an altitude of 2,473 metres, was supposedly first built around 1050, when Saint Bernard of Aosta founded the hospice which would later bear his name. In 1823, the hospice was rebuilt under the direction of the architect Henri Perregaux. It was at this hospice that the dog breed St. Bernard was created.
Grossmünster
The Grossmünster, built between 1100 and 1220, is a protestant reformed church in Zurich's old town. The first part of the Grossmünster is believed to have been built by Charlemagne, who discovered the tombs of Saints Felix and Regula, two martyrs of Christianity, around the 7th century. The Protestant Reformation in Switzerland, led by Ulrich Zwingli began in the Grossmünster, where he preached from 1519 onwards as a priest. The twin towers of the church, with their neo-Gothic domes, are the symbol of the town.
Geneva Cathedral
The Geneva Cathedral, or Saint-Pierre Cathedral, was founded in 1160 in the Romanesque style, on a former 4th-century cathedral. In 1535, with the Reformation, the statues and furniture of the cathedral were destroyed. The cathedral then became Protestant. Subsequently, John Calvin (1509-1564) worked for 23 years as a preacher in the reformed cathedral. The cathedral was built in the Gothic style at the end of the 17th century and was enlarged in the 18th century with a columned portico in the classical style in front of the main façade.
Fribourg Cathedral
Friburg Cathedral, in radiant Gothic style, was built between 1283 and 1490 and was founded as a parish church dedicated to St. Nicholas. It became a collegiate church at the beginning of the 16th century and did not become a cathedral until 1924. The tower of the church, an emblematic monument of the city, was built from 1370 to 1490.