St. John's Church

Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland

Stadtpfarrkirche St. Johann church is located next to Rapperswil Castle. The castle and the parish church were built by Count Rudolf II and his son Rudolf III around 1220/29. The former parish church was located at Busskirch on upper Zürichsee lake shore, being one of the oldest churches around the lake area. Even the citizens of Rapperswil had to attend services in Busskirch until Count Rudolf II built his own parish church on he Herrenberg hill next to the castle. Legally, Rapperswil church was subordinated to 1253 the parish of St. Johann Busskirch and thus the Pfäfers abbey. In 1489 the adjacent Liebfrauenkapelle was built, the cemetery chapel that still exists. On 30 January 1881 the church was partially destroyed by fire, and rebuilt from 1881 to 1885.

The Romanesque hall church and the northern church tower were extended in 1383 to the west. In 1441 a smaller but massively southern church tower was built. Collection campaigns in 1493/97 allowed to rebuild the hall church into a tripartite Gothic choir with arched ceiling and tracery windows. Following the Reformation in Switzerland, two Renaissance wing altars in the side chapels were added respectively latter moved to other chappels. Thus, these altars were not destroyed by fire on January 30, 1882, as well as the sacristy located in the southern church tower, along with the precious treasure of the church: masterpieces by the goldsmiths Breny from Rapperswil, Dietrich, Dumeisen and Rüssi Ysenschlegel, being one of the richest in the Linth territory.

References:

Comments

Your name


Address

Herrenberg, Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland
See all sites in Rapperswil-Jona

Details

Founded: 1220-1229
Category: Religious sites in Switzerland

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Rapperswil Castle (0,1 km)
Einsiedlerhaus (0,3 km)
Capuchin Friary (0,3 km)


Wasserkirche (26 km)
Grossmünster (26 km)
Fraumünster (26,1 km)
St. Peter's Church (26,2 km)
Swiss National Museum (26,8 km)
Lindenhof Hill (26,3 km)
Laufen Castle (52,2 km)
Meersburg Castle (62,1 km)
Neues Schloss (62,1 km)

User Reviews

Philippe Jacques Kradolfer (2 years ago)
The Pfarrkirche St. Johann in Rapperswil traces its origen to the middle ages. The church is simple and austere but it has a beautiful atmosphere. The wood ceiling is nice and interesting. The large windows provide plenty of light. Along the side walls you find beautifully small depictions of the Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross. A nice place to sit down for a few minutes to absorbe the quite tranquility of the place amidst the business of any vacation day. A nice, austere and beautifully simple church. Worth the visit.
Radoslaw Mietlicki (2 years ago)
Very nice church. Quiet, peacfull. Good place to step in for a while and contemplate.
Denis Yakovlev (3 years ago)
Очень красивое, атмосферное и духовное место.
Manjit Marwaha (3 years ago)
A nice peaceful place.plenty of places to eat. Not expensive for Switzerland
A. Gadient (3 years ago)
Klassischer Kirchenbau dessen Bogenfenster das Kirchenschiff mit Licht durchfluten. Der Altar ist schön gestaltet, Wandfresken und Skulpturen legen Zeugnis über die sakrale Kunst ab. Ein imponierender Anblick.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Most beautiful castles in Lithuania
Photo from Flickr, copyright CONTROTONO

Historic Site of the week

Palazzo Colonna

The Palazzo Colonna is a palatial block of buildings built in part over ruins of an old Roman Serapeum, and has belonged to the prestigious Colonna family for over twenty generations.

The first part of the palace dates from the 13th century, and tradition holds that the building hosted Dante in his visit to Rome. The first documentary mention notes that the property hosted Cardinal Giovanni and Giacomo Colonna in the 13th century. It was also home to Cardinal Oddone Colonna before he ascended to the papacy as Martin V (1417–1431).

With his passing, the palace was sacked during feuds, and the main property passed into the hands of the Della Rovere family. It returned to the Colonna family when Marcantonio I Colonna married Lucrezia Gara Franciotti Della Rovere, the niece of pope Julius II. The Colonna"s alliance to the Habsburg power, likely protected the palace from looting during the Sack of Rome (1527).

Starting with Filippo Colonna (1578–1639) many changes have refurbished and create a unitary complex around a central garden. Architects including Girolamo Rainaldi and Paolo Marucelli labored on specific projects. Only in the 17th and 18th centuries were the main facades completed. Much of this design was completed by Antonio del Grande (including the grand gallery), and Girolamo Fontana (decoration of gallery). In the 18th century, the long low facade designed by Nicola Michetti with later additions by Paolo Posi with taller corner blocks (facing Piazza Apostoli) was constructed recalls earlier structures resembling a fortification.

The main gallery (completed 1703) and the masterful Colonna art collection was acquired after 1650 by both the cardinal Girolamo I Colonna and his nephew the Connestabile Lorenzo Onofrio Colonna and includes works by Lorenzo Monaco, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Palma the Elder, Salviati, Bronzino, Tintoretto, Pietro da Cortona, Annibale Carracci (painting of The Beaneater), Guercino, Francesco Albani, Muziano and Guido Reni. Ceiling frescoes by Filippo Gherardi, Giovanni Coli, Sebastiano Ricci, and Giuseppe Bartolomeo Chiari celebrate the role of Marcantonio II Colonna in the battle of Lepanto (1571). The gallery is open to the public on Saturday mornings.

The older wing of the complex known as the Princess Isabelle"s apartments, but once housing Martin V"s library and palace, contains frescoes by Pinturicchio, Antonio Tempesta, Crescenzio Onofri, Giacinto Gimignani, and Carlo Cesi. It contains a collection of landscapes and genre scenes by painters like Gaspard Dughet, Caspar Van Wittel (Vanvitelli), and Jan Brueghel the Elder.

Along with the possessions of the Doria-Pamphilij and Pallavacini-Rospigliosi families, this is one of the largest private art collections in Rome.

Map Top Sights Tags Historical Periods City Guides About Us Sign Up Upload new site
© 2021 SpottingHistory.com. All rights reserved.