Liebfrauenkirche

Late 1800s church with a bell tower & colonnaded interior modeled after the early basilicas of Rome.

Background and History:
In the 19th century, Zurich experienced a high influx of Catholics from Eastern and Central Switzerland. The need for another Catholic church (besides St. Peter and Paul) in the Zwingli city of Zurich grew. Due to religious reservations, the construction of a Catholic church on the shores of Lake Zurich failed. However, in order to make Zurich a more attractive trading center to the Catholic estates, construction at the current location was finally approved.

The Catholic side also expressed defiance. To clearly distinguish the building from Reformed churches, the architect August Hardegger sought to align it with the churches of Papal Rome. The choice of the Virgin Mary as the church's patron saint was also intended to emphasize the distinction from the Reformed denomination.

For this style, the structure of the building is typical of a main and two side aisles. Built from 1893 to 1894 according to the plans of the architect August Hardegger (1858–1927), it is the only Zurich church in late antique architectural style.

Church tower and bells
The tower of the Church of Our Lady clearly bears references to Italian models. Its design is reminiscent of campanili, the freestanding Romanesque bell towers, and thus provides a deliberate contrast to the city's other church towers.

The chime consists of six bronze bells, consecrated in 1897 and mounted in the tower. The heaviest bell weighs 3,300 kg and is tuned to B-flat; the lightest weighs 250 kg. Every Saturday evening at 7 p.m., the bells ring in Sunday for 15 minutes, along with those of the other churches in the city center.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liebfrauenkirch…

Some flower beds around the churchRead more