Reformed space: the visibility of the new faith in 16th-century Zurich

The Reformation is discussed as an urban event: Cities and towns were the starting point and centre of the new religious movement in the 16th century. At the same time, the Reformation shaped cities and towns: In its wake, the urban community was strengthened, new religious practices were established and everyday life was changed. Particularly iconoclasm, the liquidation of monasteries, the reform of services and teaching, as well as a new attitude towards rituals affected the habitat of the citizens, the urban space. The article explores the visible marks that the Reformation has left in an entirely reformed city. It considers Zurich as an example of this kind of change, which followed the incorporation of the new faith into urban life in the 16th century. In doing so, the paper looks at three different kinds of space considered in spatial-theory, discussing first of all the ways and means of how reformed urban space was mediated: firstly, it explores how the built-up area changed with the conversion or demolition of ecclesiastical buildings; secondly, it looks into the change the Reformation brought to ephemeral spaces created by numerous religious rituals within the city walls; finally, images that conceive Zurich as the cutting-edge place of reformed belief will be examined.