CATHÉDRALE SAINT-PIERRE, GENEVA

Exclusive text and drawing by 

Albertine & Germano Zullo

Well, it's necessary anyway to be well somewhere. Somewhere? Perhaps the combination of a spirit, a body, a clan, and a home. The layout of such a place is not always easy. Far from it. Fate takes over most of itself, instinct wades and free will is as fragile as a snowflake. Narcissism, on the other hand, has never been a virtue. He tends, in a very annoying way, to make many small divinities as hollow as they are incoherent. We can certainly reshape the landscapes, but we also know how to contemplate the beauty of the ruins, when nature becomes free.

Saint Peter's Cathedral is a successful place. A combination certified by use and time. It may not have the reputation of the Lascaux cave, the buildings of Göbekli Tepe or the pyramids of Egypt, but the first human intervention on the site, a prehistoric tumulus, dates back to one thousand one hundred and fifty years before our era. An area obviously dedicated to the sacred, from transcended power to Christian worship.

Geneva was a Burgundian capital and an important lighthouse of the Reformation. It has never been the center of the world, although some would like it to be a champion of French-speaking Switzerland. One would thus recognize the Genevan by his arrogance - a more or less adapted reflection of Parisianism - and his accent; ah, this pronunciation from the end of the lake, heavy and dragging, as still amazed by the effect of the tsunami that devastated the city in the sixth century! Geneva is also one of those cities where it is difficult to get lost. Even the most dazed tourist, confused by his guide, will soon find his way back to his hotel; if the lake is a magnet, it is also the most comfortable landmark.

As for Saint-Pierre Cathedral, although increasingly relegated to the sole condition of cultural heritage, namely a quotation in official speeches, a paragraph in school textbooks, an object of study for university students and a stopover for tour operators, it still constitutes a real pillar of the canton. This discreet organ, this civilizational heart, strives to maintain life. A complex place where biology and consciousness, love and violence, ignorance and knowledge, ambition and despair are mixed... Much more labyrinthine than crossroads, Saint Peter's Cathedral brings together here everything that makes sense, everything that has made sense and everything that will make sense. For those who choose speed, it will not be easy to take an interest in it. Speed requires neither experience nor thought; conditioning is enough. But for those who engage in reflexivity, St. Peter's Cathedral opens the great collection of narratives. Knowing how to slow down, loving to get lost, feeling... It is necessary to be well somewhere anyway.

G.Z.

In addition, discover the general information concerning the cathédrale Saint-Pierre