The Fraumunster sits on the west bank of the Limmat, its slender green spire one of the defining features of the Zurich skyline. Founded in 853 AD by Louis the German for his daughter Hildegard, the abbey once wielded considerable power -- its abbess had the right to mint coins and collect tolls.
The church you see today is largely Gothic, though the foundations go back to the 9th century. The real draw is inside: five luminous stained glass windows by Marc Chagall, installed in 1970, flooding the chancel with jewel-toned light. Each window takes a different biblical theme, rendered in Chagall's unmistakable style. The rosette in the south transept is by Augusto Giacometti.
The Romanesque cloister, accessible from inside the church, features frescoes by Paul Bodmer depicting the founding legend of the abbey.