Switzerland Guide
Fribourg
Basilique Notre-Dame
The porticoed Basilique Notre-Dame has white-and-gold stuccowork dating from the late eighteenth century adorning the spacious, airy interior. Samson prises apart the lion's jaws on a fountain statue in front (1547), copied from a design by Dürer. Adjacent on Rue de Morat is the Espace Jean Tinguely museum, with beside it the Franciscan Église des Cordeliers. Originally part of a friary founded in 1256, the church was renovated in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, but retains its impressive medieval decor, including a vast altar painting (1480) showing the crucifixion and, on the opened wings, the adoration. High Gothic oak choir stalls (1300), the oldest in Switzerland, and a larger-than-life 1438 statue of Christ at the whipping post also stand out.
Opening time: Daily
Price: Free