Cathedral of St. Peter, Geneva

Begun around 1160 on a hilltop over the old city, Geneva's Cathédrale Saint-Pierre blends Romanesque and Gothic styles beneath a neoclassical portico added in the 18th century. When Geneva embraced the Reformation in 1536, the cathedral was stripped of its statues, altars and colour, and from its pulpit John Calvin preached for over twenty years until his death in 1564. His plain wooden chair still stands inside. Excavations beneath the nave have revealed an extraordinary archaeological site with Roman, early Christian and burial layers spanning 2,000 years of the city's history.