St Peter's Church, Basel

Sights of the Southern Rhine
St Peter's Church, Basel Ignored by the tourists but with C14th wall paintings

St Peter’s Church is rather a nice white building with a small tower, on the outskirts of the old town. The oldest part of the church is the west wall and the choir area as the rest had to be rebuilt after an earthquake in 1356. Inside it is a light and airy church with stone pillars and pointed arches separating the nave from the side aisles. Above is a gallery which runs round all sides of the nave. The highly carved font is at the back of the church. At the end of the right hand aisle is a C14th wall painting of Christ’s body being laid to rest in the tomb. Near it is a representation of St Dorothea. A solid stone screen with small doorways separates the nave from the chancel and small chapel on the left. Above is the organ. The doorways lead into the chancel and small chapels on either side. The chancel is a large open area, with a large screen on the end wall. The old choir stalls with their carved arm rests are pushed to the side walls. The chapel on the right is empty apart from banks of stored chairs. It has the remains of a wall painting high on the wall and lots of monuments on the walls. The chapel to the left of the altar gives an idea of how colourful the original church must have looked with its wall paintings. The church is open daily except Mondays but being away from the old city receives few visitors. There are regular organ concerts in the church. There is some information in German in the church. It is definitely worth finding.
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