St. Martin parish church

St. Martin parish church in Olten (Pfarrkirche St. Martin, also called the Martinskirche) is the Roman Catholic parish church of this Swiss town in the canton of Solothurn. Built between 1908 and 1910, its twin-towered front is a landmark along the Ringstrasse.

Who designed it, and what style is it?

The architect was August Hardegger (1858–1927), a church specialist from eastern Switzerland. He gave Olten a neo-Romanesque basilica with three aisles, no transept, an entrance porch (narthex) and a chancel ending in three apses. It is a late example of Historicism, the movement that revived the forms of earlier eras.

Do not confuse it with the Stadtkirche St. Martin in the old town. That one is a Neoclassical building belonging to the Christian Catholic church and is about a century older. The church described here is the larger, newer Roman Catholic one.

What will you see inside and out?

The first thing you notice is the monumental double-tower facade. Inside, the decoration came together step by step: several church artists added to the furnishings until about 1931. The result reads as one coherent whole, where architecture, painting and craftsmanship work together. Heritage experts in the canton of Solothurn count it among Switzerland's most important large churches of late Historicism.

If you enjoy architecture from the turn of the twentieth century, step inside. The three aisles and rounded apses create a typically Romanesque rhythm, and the richly decorated interior contrasts with the sober masonry outside.

What is its restoration history?

A full restoration took place from 1986 to 1992. In 2020 the canton of Solothurn approved funding for a further restoration of the interior and parts of the exterior. That work brought the richly furnished interior back into proper light. The building is under cantonal heritage protection.

How do you get there, and what else is nearby?

Olten sits on the Aare river and is one of Switzerland's busiest railway junctions, so trains from Zurich, Bern and Basel make the trip easy. The church stands on the Ringstrasse, west of the station and outside the historic core. Afterwards, walk to the old town and the Aare, where you will find the covered wooden footbridge and a few cafes.

Frequently asked questions

When was St. Martin's church in Olten built? Construction ran from 1908 to 1910, and the interior fittings were completed around 1931.

Who was the architect? August Hardegger, a Swiss church architect who designed many religious buildings across the country.

What architectural style is it? Neo-Romanesque, in the late Historicism tradition: a three-aisle basilica with three apses and a twin-tower front.

Is this the same as the Stadtkirche St. Martin? No. The Stadtkirche is an early nineteenth-century Neoclassical church of the Christian Catholic community in the old town. The parish church on Ringstrasse is Roman Catholic and was built a century later.