The Saint-Pierre Cathedral
Excavating the site
When you visit the Saint-Pierre Cathedral in Geneva, what you see above ground is only a small portion of the entire cathedral. In 1976, a giant archeological excavation began with the goal of uncovering the site’s history, which starts all the way back in the Roman Empire. This project revealed that the current cathedral is one of three cathedrals to coexist on the site during the 8th to 10th centuries; in the 12th century, the surviving building subsumed the other two.
I went inside the cathedral for some photos, but I agree with my supervisor: the real reason to visit is for the archeological tour underground, not the cathedral itself. The cathedral is still important in its own right, though. The cathedral is known as the adopted home church of John Calvin, one of the leaders of the Protestant Reformation.
Thankfully, as a student, I qualified for the student rate of 4 francs to visit the archeological site, but I would gladly have paid the adult rate of 8 francs for this tour. Like the Red Cross Museum that I described in my last post, you receive an audio guide at the entrance, which talks to you throughout your tour.
Before entering the excavation site, there is a 3D model of the entire layout.
The north cathedral is the oldest building in the episcopal complex, along with the baptistery and the church. The north cathedral was built above an older Christian chapel, and its first configuration occurred around 380 CE. During additions in the 5th century, the screen that closed off the choir was turned into a solea, or a narrow passageway used for processions.
The main door of the north cathedral did not open into the main axis of the building but was placed in the middle of the southern side wall. It led into a gallery that was later included in the atrium. There were runnels included to prevent rainwater from flowing into the cathedral, which was at a lower level.
Based on the diameter of this star-shaped impression, archeologists believe it is the casting for 'La Clémence', the largest bell of the cathedral (cast in 1407 CE). The mould for the bell was lowered into a pit, to avoid an explosion due to the pressure of molten metal.
The walls of the north cathedral were formed using the construction technique 'opus africanum', a technique that comes from North Africa. In this technique, walls are created by alternating between vertical rows of large masonry blocks and horizontal bands of river boulders.
A small courtyard gave access to the monks' cells. These cells consisted of several small dwellings, each independent from the others, built against the northern wall of the north cathedral. They were formed of two rooms, one above the other, and had a system of heating by radial conduits.
This service area, used for drying corn after a harvest, predates the construction of the north cathedral. The service area included a heating room where very dry air could circulate, assuring long conservation of the cereals found in large quantities in the area.
The choir of the north cathedral, reserved for members of the clergy, was closed off by a barrier. To provide a guide for processions, the choir was extended through use of a solea, or a long narrow passage marked out by barriers and opening out onto the nave (the central part of a church building). A tomb was incorporated into the liturgical space on the south side.
Inside the nave, or the central part of the church building, a broad flight of stairs led up to two consecutive levels. A large area reserved for the canons (the clergy members who surround the bishop) opened onto the choir, where the high altar stood. The choir, located over the crypt, stood 4.5 m (15 feet) above the nave.
The baptistery was a separate building, where the faithful received the first of the Christian sacraments: baptism. Over the years, the size of the baptismal font was reduced, reflecting the change from full immersion in running water to the sprinkling of water still practiced today.
Water was supplied to the baptistery's main font (place for the water used in baptism) from a well about 30 m (98 feet) away, through pipes made of wood and lead. The water first flowed into a basin and then was fed under pressure into the font, forming a small spout that rained down onto the new converts as they kneeled before the bishop.
During the 7th-8th century, a third cathedral was built in line with the baptistery. This east cathedral replaced a church dedicated to the worship of relics, and played a funerary role. The cathedral was divided into three naves, with a particular area of devotion being the tomb situated in the choir. It was flanked by two platforms and surrounded by an ornamented chancel (a low screen) that the faithful had to cross in order to worship before the grave.
Around 1000 CE, a free-standing crypt on a circular plan was built behind the chevet of the 7th-8th century east cathedral. Around the late 11th or early 12th century, this rotunda with a protruding apse was integrated into a new structure to create a single cathedral.
Archaeological excavations under Saint-Pierre Cathedral provided a stratigraphic representation of the site's consecutive phases of occupation. Pole-holes in the sandstone bedrock (b), fireplaces or house walls that collapsed during a fire (c), and stone and mortar pavement (d).
In the 10th century, a cloister was built on the site of the former north cathedral. It was completely rebuilt in the 13th century following the completion of the current cathedral. The ground under the cloister arcades contained numerous tombs of both clergy members and laypeople.
The south cathedral, built around 400 CE, was dedicated to the teaching and the study of sacred texts, and was associated with the adjoining baptistery. It included a solea (passageway) and a polygonal ambo (pulpit), where the bishop and priests stood to instruct the congregation.
Adjacent to the south cathedral was the bishop's reception hall, which gave directly onto the choir. A 45-square panel mosaic decorated the floor of the room, but over the years it suffered frequent and clumsy renovations.
Along with the blueprints illustrating each cathedral site, there were also 3D models to help visitors appreciate what the cathedrals looked like back in the day. My favorite part of the models were the little figurines inside each model—they had such great detail! For more information on the history of the cathedrals and Geneva, try HERE and HERE. |
The day was still early after visiting the Saint-Pierre Cathedral. Since I wasn’t quite ready to head back to CERN, I took a short walk to see the Jet d'Eau. The Jet d'Eau is literally a giant jet of water in Lake Geneva, installed in 1951 and now one of the city's most iconic symbols.
The story of Jet d'Eau begins in 1886, when one of the local utility suppliers, SIG (Services Industriels de Genève), created a water outlet to control the excess pressure of a hydraulic plant at La Coulouvrenière. The water spout was so popular that SIG relocated the Jet d'Eau to the Geneva harbour in 1891. Finally, in 1951, a sophisticated pumping station was built exclusively for the operation of the Jet d'Eau. Walking along the pier toward the Jet d'Eau |