evangelical reformed church

Reformierte Kirche Suhr (the Reformed Church of Suhr) is a late Gothic parish church in Suhr, in the Swiss canton of Aargau, just outside Aarau. It crowns a hill spur and has long been the landmark at the heart of the village.

How old is the church?

Worship on this site goes back to the early Middle Ages: a church is recorded from the 8th century, and the parish was once among the largest in the region. The present building was consecrated in 1495, and a massive tower was added beside the polygonal choir in 1497. Patronage passed from the Habsburgs to the collegiate chapter of Beromünster in 1400, then to the canton of Aargau in 1857. Over time, communities such as Oberentfelden and Gränichen split off, and after the Reformation so did Aarau, Untermuhen and Rupperswil.

What will you see?

A late Gothic body with a many-sided choir and a sturdy tower. A lightning strike in 1844 wrecked the wooden ceiling and the stained glass. A small room inside the tower served as a prison cell in earlier centuries. The church was restored most recently in 1994.

What else is worth a stop in Suhr?

• Wynabrücke – a stone arch bridge over the Wyna, built in 1770.
• Museum Suhr – the local history museum in the former Untervogthaus; its first room, the Janz-Stübli, remains in its original state.
• Heiliggeist Church – a modern Catholic church on Tramstrasse, consecrated in 1961.

How do you get there?

Suhr lies in the lower Suhrental valley and works as a suburb of Aarau. Trains have run here since 1877 (Baden–Lenzburg–Zofingen) and 1904 (Aarau–Reinach). From Aarau, a train or local bus gets you there quickly.

Frequently asked questions

When was the church built? The current building was consecrated in 1495 and the tower followed in 1497. A church stood here much earlier.

Is it a Protestant church? Yes, it belongs to the Reformed parish of Suhr. Catholics have their own church, Heiliggeist, in the village.

What did the 1844 lightning do? It destroyed the wooden ceiling and the coloured glass windows.

Is anything else worth seeing nearby? Yes: the 1770 Wynabrücke and the municipal museum in the Untervogthaus.