Zurich No. 2 / Zürich

Konrad Escher's 'Das Zürcher Großmünster am Vorabend der Reformation' (1928) [1608-Article Text-1518-1-10-20091129.pdf] [accessed 27 September 2023] mentions two baptismal fonts in this church: the present font in use, made in 1598, was installed in the front of the nave at the time, while the earlier Romanesque tub that had its place in th west end, as was the custom, was discarded; during the renovations of 1914 the old font was discovered and was installed in the crypt, where it now stands ["Der alte Taufstein, 1598 vergraben und durch einen neuen ersetzt, stand, katholischem Brauch entsprechend, am Westende der Kirche, in der Nähe der starken Turmpfeiler, und unter den Türmen selbst befanden sich die Beichtstühle. Der alte Taufstein wurde bei Anlaß der Renovation von 1914 aufgefunden und in der Krypta aufgestellt."] The 16th-century font is described and illustrated in the brief church guide 'Das Grossmünster in Zürich' by Reverend Hans Stickelberger; chalice-shaped baptismal font with rib ornamentation all around the basin; the flat cover allows for the font to be used as handy Communion table given its location in the centre aisle. [cf. BSI entry for Zurich No. 1 for the medieval font in this church].