St Peter's Church is a famous architectural monument and the first Protestant church in the city of Zurich after the Reformation. It attracts tourists not only because it is the oldest church in the city, but also because of the huge clock installed in 1538 on the tower with the largest clock face in Europe: 9m in diameter; the minute hand is almost 4m long.
The tower had previously been of great importance to the city due to the fire watchmen, whose job it was to watch the clock from a room in the tower and regulate its operation, as the city's other clocks were orientated to this one. The tower was built as early as the 16th century, but the bells were not put up until the end of the 19th century. The bells played the role of a fire signal.
The church was built in 1230 to replace two other churches that stood here in the 8th and 10th centuries. Initially, the architecture of the building was predominantly late Romanesque in style. In the 15th century Gothic elements were added, and even later Baroque galleries appeared. In the 18th century, the church became Zurich's first Protestant church. The church has a marvellous public garden with many trees in front of the staircase at the entrance to the church.
Rudolf Brun, Zurich's first burgomaster, was buried in this church. Leo Jud, Zwingli's friend who helped him translate the Bible, is also buried here. The famous writer and philosopher Johann Caspar Lavater lectured here.
Today, St Peter's Church is the church of the small congregation of the same name in the old part of the city.
