After its inauguration in 1931, the people in Basel still scornfully called Switzerland’s first concrete church and one of the first reinforced concrete buildings in the world the soul silo. However, the avant-guard building by Karl Moser and Gustav Doppler soon became a highlight for architecture enthusiasts.
It is gigantic: 22 meters high and 60 meters long with a 62-meter high angular bell tower and completely built from raw exposed concrete. The Roman Catholic Church is neatly placed wall to wall between two residential buildings.
On the inside, eight slim concrete pillars carry the barrel vault. Another sensation are the monumental colorful glass windows by Hans Stocker and Otto Staiger depicting biblical scenes such as St. Anthony’s sermon to the fishes or the Last Supper. It is fantastic to look at the colorful glass stones in the sunlight that seem to dance on the raw, unplastered concrete walls. You should not miss visiting this building.
Kannenfeldstrasse 35
Basel- Grossbasel
