The Church and the churches
Medieval Switzerland was divided into the Bishoprics of Constance (formerly Vindonissa), Basel (formerly Augst), Lausanne (formerly Avanches), Geneva, Sitten (formerly Martigny), Como and Chur. As the bishops’ churches, cathedrals formed the intellectual and political heart of the episcopal towns. Magnificent cathedral buildings like those in Lausanne or Basel (Minster) were first erected, however, from the 12th century onwards. Before that, the sacred buildings were considerably more modest: the churches were mostly simple wooden buildings, particularly in rural areas.
Archaeologists have found evidence of Switzerland’s oldest wooden church, dating back to the 9th century, in the Bernese village of Kirchlindach. There are still wooden churches in Switzerland today, such as the pretty wooden chapel on the Stoos in the canton of Schwyz or in the village of Obermutten in Graubünden.
A magnificent church was regarded and justified as being an image of God’s glory. But the aspiration of bishops for an earthly display of splendour influenced church building and even before the first millennium there were out and out rivalries to have the largest and most magnificent church.