The Fraumünster (Womens’ Church) is a church in Zürich, Switzerland which was built on the remains of a former abbey for aristocratic women which was founded in the 9th century. Today, it belongs to the Evangelical Reformed Church of the canton of Zürich and is one of the four main churches of Zürich.
In 1045, King Henry III granted the convent the right to hold markets, collect tolls, and mint coins, and thus effectively made the abbess the ruler of the city. Emperor Frederick II granted the abbey Reichsunmittelbarkeit in 1218, thus making it territorially independent of all authority save that of the Emperor himself, and increasing the political power of the abbess. However, the political power of the convent slowly waned in the fourteenth century, beginning with the establishment of the Zunftordnung (guild laws) in 1336. The abbey was dissolved on 30 November 1524 in the course of the reformation of Huldrych Zwingli.
The monastery buildings were destroyed in 1898 to make room for the new Stadthaus. The church building today serves as the parish church for one of the city’s 34 reformed parishes. Münsterhof, historically the main square and marketplace of the medieval city, is named for the abbey.
The choir of the abbey includes 5 large stained glass windows designed by artist Marc Chagall and installed in 1970. Each of the 5 has a dominant color and depicts a Biblical story. From left (northern wall) to right, the 5 works are:
- Prophets, depicting Elijah’s ascent to heaven
- Jacob, displaying his combat, and dreams of heaven
- Christ, illustrating various scenes of Christ’s life
- Zion, showing an angel trumpeting the end of the world
- Law, with Moses looking down upon the suffering of his people
For the around 500,000 visitors every year a new developed visitor management started in June 2016. Visitors groups up to 60 persons are admitted from June 20 only by appointment and only in defined time windows. Guided tours are allowed only in a “whisper” modus, and by accredited tour guides.
