Reformed Chrischona church, Reformed church at St. Chrischona hamlet in Bettingen, Switzerland
The Reformed Chrischona Church is a religious building located at the hamlet of St. Chrischona in Bettingen at an elevation above 500 meters, marking the highest point in the Basel-Stadt canton. The structure sits near the border with Germany and functions as a place for worship and community meetings.
A first church probably stood on the Dinkelberg in the 7th century; it was enlarged in the 8th and 9th centuries and replaced around 1000 by a Romanesque building, likely dedicated to Saint Brictius of Tours. The present church was built between 1450 and 1516, with the west tower (1450–1460), choir (1503–1509) and nave (1513–1516). It became Reformed with the Basel Reformation in 1529, was looted by Swedish troops in the Thirty Years' War, used as a stable in 1818, and restored from 1839, when the Pilgermission was founded in its sacristy in 1840.
The name Chrischona comes from a legend of Saint Chrischona that arose in the 13th or 14th century and made the church a popular pilgrimage site. Older local names such as Britzigtal, Britzigbann and Britzighof point to an earlier dedication to Saint Brictius of Tours, Britzig being the Alemannic form of the name. Today the church is a popular wedding church, helped by neighbouring catering that can serve larger parties.
The building sits at a higher elevation and is reachable in good weather conditions. Visitors should be prepared for exposure to the elements, as the location is somewhat remote and windy at times.
In the tower hangs a bell cast in 1625 by Martin Hofmann of Basel, sounding the note f″. A viewing platform reached by more than 71 steps opens from the tower, with views to the Vosges, the Black Forest, the Jura and the Alps in clear weather.
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