Preachers church, Medieval church in Old Town, Zürich, Switzerland
Predigerkirche is one of the four main churches of Zürich's old town, first built in 1231 as the Romanesque church of the Dominican monastery. Its choir was rebuilt in Gothic form between 1308 and 1350, and its bell tower is regarded as the highest Gothic edifice in Zürich. The tower's lower masonry carries clock faces on two sides, one with Roman numerals, the other gold numerals on a black circle, and above it rises a steep spire clad in pale green panels with a gold finial.
The building began in 1231 as part of a Dominican monastery and underwent major reconstruction in the 14th century, including the tower. These phases of change shaped the structure that stands today.
The name Predigerkirche recalls the Dominican "preachers" (Prediger) who settled here around 1230; the convent was abolished on 3 December 1524 and its buildings and income went to the Heilig-Geist-Spital. In 1614 the church became a separate parish for the Neumarkt and Niederdorf districts, and since 1897 it has belonged to the Predigern parish, today run as an open town church with an ecumenical profile.
The church stands near Neumarkt in the Niederdorf quarter, a short walk from Zürich's central station and tram stops. The former monastery buildings adjoin it to the west, around the cloister, and connect toward the Zentralbibliothek Zürich. The 1960s renovation, completed in 1967, left the interior open for visitors to walk through the nave and gallery.
The large pipe organ with dark blue casing and silver pipes stands high on the wall above the wooden gallery, which is carried on columns. The gallery and the rows of plain wooden pews below it fill the nave, and a carved stone font stands on the light gray stone floor near the entrance.
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