The Reformation Museum and St Peter's Cathedral

After a good night's sleep we had a good breakfast at the hotel and walked to the International Museum of the Reformation. The exhibits started with Martin Luther and John Calvin and continued with the Reformation in other countries and ended with 20th and 21st century ministers such as Billy Graham and Robert Shuller.

A summary of the Reformation can be found here.








Then we went into St. Peter's Church.  The exterior is imposing



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but the interior is stark, since the Reformers did not approve of the church when it was Catholic. It was dominated by the pulpit from which John Calvin preached.




However some stained glass is there, especially in the Chapel of the Maccabees.





We followed this by going to the archaeological site under the Cathedral and spent almost 2 hours there. It gives a history of the area for over 2000 years, since the space under the Cathedral contains the remains of the many churches that preceded the current structure: the oldest of these dates from the late 4th century, providing evidence of Geneva's pivotal role in the development of Christianity. Furthermore, the excavations have brought to light traces of pre-Christian occupation of the hill: wells, a grain processing area, a likely ceremonial building and an Allobrogian tomb.

A short history of Geneva from the 2nd c. BC to the Reformation can be found here.

Then next photo is a model of the different buildings which have been discovered. The church of relics is from about 350 AD. By 500 AD there were baptistries and two cathedrals, the north and the south. In the 7th-8th centuries there was an east cathedral and by the 9th-10th centuries there was only one cathedral. In 1160 the construction of St. Peter's Cathedral was begun.



 This is a Roman hypocaust, used to heat a building.


 Mosaics in a bishop's entry.

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After two hours in this archaeological site, we felt the need for something more modern- a gelato which we enjoyed very much.
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