The Fraumunster Church is one of the oldest in Zurich. It was built in 853 on the Bank of the Limmat river. Its high Gothic spire with a clock towers over the city. Many people come to this Church to see the stained glass Windows of the famous artist Marc Chagall.
King Ludwig II of Germany, the grandson of Charlemagne, built the Fraumunster Church for his daughter Hildelgard. Since childhood, she decided to devote herself to God. Her father supported her in this endeavor. Here was built not only a Church, but a large Benedictine Abbey. The king also gave the Abbey two towns with surrounding areas.
During the life of Hildelgard and after her death there are appeared many nuns from wealthy families in the monastery. These families made rich donations to the monastery. In 1045, king Henry III even allowed the Abbey to mint its own coin. Its power extended over Zurich and Thur. The mayor of Zurich was appointed head of the Abbey.
The monastery`s power over the city continued until the 14th century. In 1336, Rudolph Brun was first elected as mayor by the people, not being appointed by the abbess. In 1360, he was buried in the Church of St. Peter.
In 1523, as a result of the Reformation initiated by Ulrich Zwingli, the Abbey was closed. All its buildings were destroyed. Only the Fraumunster Church remains, which has become one of the symbols of Zurich.
In 1960, during the reconstruction of the Church, the famous artist Marc Chagall was invited. By that time, he had already made beautiful stained glass Windows in the Jerusalem synagogue. He was 83 when he started working and donated 5 stained glass Windows to the Church. 7 years later, he made another stained glass window for the Gothic rose window. Since then, many people come here to see the stained glass Windows of Marc Chagall.
