The Water Church (Wasserkirche) is located on the banks of the Limmat river, not far from where it flows out of lake Zurich. It is one of the shrines of Zurich, since it was built on the site where Regula and Felix, who became the Patron Saints of Zurich, were executed in 286.
In Ancient Roman times, this place was separated by a small neck from the coast. In fact, it was a small island where the Romans held their pagan rites and carried out executions. For their unwillingness to renounce their Christian faith, the Romans beheaded Regula and Felix. According to legend, they took their heads in their hands and walked 40 steps up the hill, where they were buried. The Grossmunster Cathedral was founded by king Charlemagne on the site of the burial of Saints Regula and Felix, and the Wasserkirche was built on the site of their execution.
The cult stone of the Romans, on which the heads of Christian martyrs were cut off, has been preserved in the Crypt of the Water Church to this day. The first Christian Church on this island was built in the 10th century, and the modern appearance of the Water Church was acquired in 1486, when the island was connected to the embankment of the Limmat river.
Since the 17th century, the Water Church (Wasserkirche) has been used as the public library of Zurich, but in 1917 it was returned to the Protestant Church. The interior of the Church, as in all cathedrals in Zurich, is very strict. There are no decorations, sculptures, or images of saints.
