Switzerland Guide
Geneva
Mur de la Réformation
The Mur de la Réformation is a 100m-long wall erected in 1917 and dominated by forbidding, 5m-high statues of the four major Genevan reformers: Guillaume Farel, first to preach the Reformation in Geneva; Jean Calvin, leader of the Reform movement and spiritual father of the city; Théodore de Bèze, successor to Calvin; and John Knox, friend of Calvin and founder of Scottish Presbyterianism. Behind runs the motto of the city and the Reformation, Post Tenebras Lux ("After the Darkness, Light"). Various figures and bas-reliefs show scenes from Protestant history: just to the right of the main statues is Roger Williams, a Calvinist Puritan who sailed on the Mayflower and founded the city of Providence, Rhode Island. The English Parliament's 1689 Bill of Rights – which established a constitutional monarchy under the Protestant king William of Orange, and barred Catholics from the throne – is also depicted, but Luther and Zwingli, with whom Calvin came to disagree, are relegated to plain blocks flanking the wall, carved only with their surnames.
Opening time: Daily
Price: Free