Cathedrale St-Nicolas
- Visit: 1–2 hours
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What's on here
Messe dominicale
Sunday, 20:302 CHF
Messe capitulaire
Monday, 18:152 CHF
Messe capitulaire
Tuesday, 18:152 CHF
Why go
- One of Europe’s major complete ensembles of Art Nouveau church windows.
- City views from the 74-metre bell tower, reached by a climb of 365 steps.
- The Last Judgement relief at the west entrance.
- The main organ that attracted Franz Liszt and Anton Bruckner.
- Ulrich Wagner’s late Gothic choir screen, considered the finest of its period.
Opening hours
Today13:00 – 17:00Show all
Don't miss
- Mehoffer windowsMade by the Kirsch & Fleckner workshop, eight windows light the side chapels and five the choir.Side chapels and choir
- Porte du DimancheThe south doorway is surrounded by statues dating from around 1340–1350.South side1340–1350
- Lamentation over the Dead ChristThis 1433 group brings together 13 sandstone figures.Chapel before the right aisle1433
- Main organBuilt by Aloys Mooser between 1824 and 1834, it has 60 stops across four manuals and a pedal.Cathedral interior1824–1834
- Gothic baptismal fontGylian Aetterli and collaborators made this ornate openwork font in 1498–1499.Cathedral interior1498–1499
- Choir organSebald Manderscheidt built this second organ in 1655–1657; it has 18 stops, two manuals and a pedal.Choir1655–1657
Know before you go
- Cathedral: Monday–Saturday, 10:00–17:00; Sunday, 13:00–17:00.
Interesting facts5
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The three-aisled church has no transept and is built mainly from local grey-green molasse sandstone.
Cathédrale Saint-Nicolas de Fribourg - Wikipedia -
The entrance tower’s design drew inspiration from Freiburg im Breisgau, Strasbourg and Prague.
Cathédrale Saint-Nicolas de Fribourg - Wikipedia -
The tower’s second level contains a large rose window and Saint Michael’s Chapel, now used as the treasury.
Cathédrale Saint-Nicolas de Fribourg - Wikipedia -
A statue base at the west portal depicts people absorbed in their smartphones.
St. Nikolaus (Freiburg im Üechtland) - Wikipedia -
1464
Antoine de Peney and his nephew Claude carved the choir stalls in 1464.
Cattedrale di San Nicola (Friburgo) - Wikipedia
Shorts
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Cathédrale St-Nicolas FribourgFribourg Tourisme et Région
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🇨🇭⛪ La cathédrale St-Nicolas de Fribourg. Switzerland.La Torpille
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Fribourg: la crosse de saint Nicolas a disparu à la cathédraleLa Liberté
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Église orthodoxe russe cathédrale Saint Nicolas NiceBernard BAUDOUIN
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CATHÉDRALE ST NICOLAS FRIBOURG,pas très clair ils fermecorine bise
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Turm der Kathedrale St. Nikolaus Freiburg / Tour de la Cathédrale St-…FRIBOURG
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Cathédrale Saint Nicolas, FribourgPics From Above
History
Saint-Nicolas was Fribourg’s only parish sanctuary until a second parish was established in 1511. Peter Falck invoked the tower’s height when lobbying for collegiate status. Following the cathedral’s elevation in 1924, Marius Besson took possession in 1925 as the diocese’s first bishop.
- 1157The origins of the Saint-Nicolas parish church are associated with Fribourg’s founding.
- 1283–1490The present Gothic church was built in stages on the site of an earlier Romanesque church.
- 1512The church became a collegiate church.
- 1627–1631The polygonal choir replaced an earlier rectangular choir.
- 1924A papal bull made the church the cathedral and Fribourg the seat of the Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg diocese.
Sources: Fribourg Cathedral - Wikipedia · Paroisse St-Nicolas/St-Paul Communauté St-Nicol… · Communauté St-Nicolas · Paroisse Saint-Nicolas … · Contact · Paroisse Saint-Nicolas Fribourg · Cathédrale Saint-Nicolas de Fribourg - Wikipedia · St. Nikolaus (Freiburg im Üechtland) - Wikipedia · Cattedrale di San Nicola (Friburgo) - Wikipedia · checked 28 Sep 2026
- Website
- stnicolas.ch/
- Phone
- +41 26 350 11 11
Questions and answers
Where is the cathedral?
At rue des Chanoines 3 in Fribourg’s Old Town.
Where is the main entrance?
The west portal, through the entrance tower; it replaced the south portal as the main entrance when construction finished in 1490.
Is Saint-Nicolas still a place of worship?
Yes. It is Fribourg’s main Catholic place of worship and the seat of the bishop, cathedral chapter and Saint-Nicolas/Saint-Paul parish.
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