Geneva, Swiss Confederation
Region: French Switzerland
Theme: Archaeology, Archaeological Site & Underground
Visit: November, 2017
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The Archaeological Site of Saint Pierre Cathedral ⛿ is a major research and excavation works underneath the cathedral and the surrounding streets were carried out over an extended period of 30 years (1976-2006). The works uncovered remains of over 2000 years of urban development in the historic center of Geneva.
In 2006 the site was opened to the public. It has been sensitively adapted to accommodate visitors and an exemplary presentation has been developed, using a variety of mediums to showcase an important urban archaeology site of European and world importance.
“The project is highly valued for the quality of the excavation works on a most difficult site, and for the integrated approach and excellent collaboration between archaeologists, conservators and architects.” The remains of churches pre-dating the St. Peter’s Cathedral are hidden beneath this ancient building, the oldest dating back to the 4th century. But the ground underneath St Peter’s also holds evidence of the hill’s occupation as far back as the pre-Christian era: wells, wheat processing areas, buildings of potential cultural use and tombs of the Celtic Allobroge tribe. Several spaces have been specially fitted out and are presented with modern museum techniques.
The archaeological site of Saint-Pierre Cathedral is internationally famous among archaeologists. The excavations begun in 1976 by the Cantonal archaeological service under the Chapelle des Macchabées marked the beginning of a vast programme of research in and around the cathedral. The excavations provided many new data on the birth of Geneva and its urban development over the centuries.
Allobroges, ancient Celtic tribe that lived in the part of southeastern France bounded by the Rhône and Isère rivers and in the area around present-day Geneva. The Allobroges are first mentioned by the 2nd-century-BCE Greek historian Polybius as inhabitants of a territory Hannibal passed through in 218 BCE. In 122 BCE the Allobroges attacked the Aedui, who appealed to Rome.
They were defeated by Roman armies at the junction of the Rhône and Isère in 121 and again in 120 and were incorporated into the province of Transalpine Gaul. In 63 CE they provided the evidence for the conviction of Catiline and his associates. Soon afterward they rebelled against Roman extortion and were defeated and pacified. Under Augustus they were incorporated into the province of Narbonese Gaul (see Narbonensis), which was administered from the Latin colony of Vienna.
The region around Lake Geneva has been settled for millennia, but the city itself first entered the historical record in the opening chapters of Caesar’s De Bello Gallico, where it was described as a frontier town occupied by the Allobroges, a Gallic tribe Caesar labelled ‘recently subdued’.
The Allobroges occupied Geneva in the 2nd century BCE, until the town fell to the Romans c.120 BCE. The archaeologists believe this warrior hero was still remembered and venerated several decades after his death, as shown by the remains of a small wooden mausoleum built above his grave.
The archaeological site under Saint-Pierre Cathedral has a total area of over 3000 m2.
The development of St Pierre’s successive baptisteries in this section of the site between the 4th and 8th centuries CE underscores Geneva’s importance as an early center of Christianity. Particularly eye-catching was a large and remarkably preserved early baptismal font, dating from a time when the process of baptism typically involved full immersion.
This monster cathedral underwent further gradual transformation and extension over the next few centuries, its character changing dramatically after Reformation. What remains today is a hybrid of architectural traditions and religious influences – a building with a rich and multifaceted story to tell.
Photo-α: Archaeological Site Entrance
Further information at: Site-archeologique.ch | Geneve.com/ArchaeologicalSiteSPC | Europeanheritageawards.eu/ArcheologicalSiteSPC | WorldArchaeology.com/StPierreCathedral | Britannica.com/Allobroges
“The ethnonym Allobroges is a Latinized form of the Gaulish *Allobrogis, which literally means
‘those from another country’ or ‘those from the other frontier’, that is to say the ‘foreigners’ or the ‘exiled’.”
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