The Saint-Pierre aux Liens parish church of Bulle, in neo-baroque style, was consecrated in 1816. It is renowned for its stained glass windows and organ. Its vast interior is adorned with neo-classical stucco.
On April 2nd 1805, a fire destroyed nearly all of Bulle. The church, built in 1750, did not escape the flames and the town was quickly rebuilt. The new parish church was consecrated in September 1816. A great deal of money was invested in it as a mark of the town's dynamism following the fire. While the most striking thing about the church is its simplicity, the richness of the decoration will delight the curious visitor.
The aisle is warmed with the opulent colours of Alexandre Cingria's stained glass windows (1931). The life of Saint Peter, to whom the church is dedicated, is illustrated in the choir. Cingria also created the windows in the left nave. The artist's exuberance is displayed in these windows, for example in the series of pretty red buttons that stand out against the black of St Francis of Sales's cassock. The other windows in the right nave are by Emilio Beretta. The windows in the galleries of the nave are by Bernard Schorderet (1976).
Aloys Mooser built the large organ in around 1815. Fitted with 1,400 pipes, the instrument has undergone several transformations and enlargements. The current organ is very similar to how it was when it was built.
Also worthy of admiration is a 17th century Madonna and Child, an Adoration of the Shepherds and a Madonna of the Rosary by Joseph Reichlen (1879 and 1890), the bronze liturgical furnishings by Antoine Claraz and the enamels by Liliane Jordan (1973), a monochrome triptych by Vincent Marbacher (2007), the stations of the cross in mosaic and the painted vault decoration by Emilio Beretta (1931).
The organ charmed both Franz Liszt and George Sand. It was tried and enjoyed by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, who had very good things to say about it. The instrument is always enjoyed in concerts.
Place Saint-Pierre
1630 Bulle
