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Description: Dedicated to Saint-Pierre and emblematic image of Geneva, which it dominates from the hill of the Old Town, the cathedral is also the symbol of the influence of Protestant Rome.

The presence of a cathedral and a religious complex on the site of Saint-Pierre has been documented since the fourth century AD. Until the 11th century, the structure will evolve until the creation of a unique building, but it is in the 12th century that the first prince-bishop of Geneva, Arducius de Faucigny, will begin the construction of the current cathedral, stage which will span about a century, from 1150 to 1250.

Over time, wars, fires, as well as additions and renovations have altered the interior and exterior appearance of the building. Outside, the most visible changes were certainly the construction of the south tower, the addition of the Chapel of the Maccabees, the addition of the neoclassical portico, the reconstruction of the north tower and the installation of the copper arrow.

Inside, the Cathedral has the largest collection of Romanesque and Gothic capitals in Switzerland, while the stained glass windows (identical to those of the Renaissance which are in the Museum of Art and History) date back to the restoration work of the 19th century. century. The polychrome decorations of the Middle Ages, on the other hand, disappeared at the time of the Reformation.

From August 1535, the mass was abolished in Geneva and the cathedral was assigned to Protestant worship. It takes the name of Temple of St. Peter, which remains its official name to this day. The extreme stripping of the place corresponds to the original spirit of Calvinist spirituality, turned towards listening to the word and not towards the image. After the separation of Church and State in 1907, the building became the property of the Protestant Church of Geneva. Over the centuries, however, the cathedral has been more than a place of worship. It has long been the real heart of the city. In particular, it fulfilled civilian functions and, even today, it welcomes the swearing-in of the government of the Republic. But Saint-Pierre is above all a living illustration of the influence that Geneva had on the Protestant world as a place of refuge as well as as an academy training pastors from all over Europe.