Christ catholic collegiate church of St. Martin, Gothic Catholic church in Rheinfelden, Switzerland.
The Christ Catholic collegiate church of St. Martin in Rheinfelden is a three-aisled Gothic basilica whose present building dates from the second half of the 14th century. Its interior is Baroque, remodelled in the 1770s. The church stands on Kirchplatz in the old town; the lower part of the north wall of the 12th-century predecessor survives in the south wall of the bell tower.
The original foundation dates to 1228 when a canons' monastery was established here, lasting until 1870. In 1873 it became a Christian Catholic community after the previous institution was dissolved.
The parish's patron is Martin of Tours, inherited from the mother parish of Magden. Since 1873 the church has belonged to the Christian Catholic community, which rejected the dogma of papal infallibility in 1872; on 18 September 1876 Joseph Hubert Reinkens consecrated Eduard Herzog here as Switzerland's first Christian Catholic bishop.
The church stands on the Kirchplatz in the middle of the old town, its three-nave Gothic exterior visible from the square. The interior is Baroque, with the furnishings added in the 1770s renovation. Visitors enter through the west front facing the square; the choir and high altar lie to the east.
The church is first documented in December 1146, when the crusade preacher Bernard of Clairvaux visited Rheinfelden twice. The source gives no healing miracles and no year 1147; the date rests on these two visits alone.
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