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Reformed Church L'Auditoire

1401

The Geneva chapel where John Calvin lectured on the Bible and where exiled reformers such as John Knox worshipped.

Calvin lectured on the Bible in this chapel, which became a haven for Protestant refugees under his leadership.

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Front facade of a stone church with a pointed Gothic arched doorway and a tall narrow arched window above it. Shrubs flank the entrance, and a woman and a small child stand on the steps outside the open door.
Reformed Church L'Auditoire, Geneva, originally built 1401.

About this source

What it is

The Auditoire, originally the Notre-Dame-la-Neuve Chapel, is a Gothic-style building in Geneva constructed in the 15th century. From 1536, it became a lecture hall where John Calvin taught Reformed theology and led daily Bible studies. It was later used by Theodore Beza and by the Scottish reformer John Knox during his exile, and in 1559 it served as the original home of the University of Geneva.

Why it matters

The Auditoire shows how Geneva became a refuge and training ground for Protestants fleeing persecution across Europe. Calvin gave the building to refugee congregations to worship in their own languages, making it a meeting point between different national Reformation movements, including the one that influenced the Scottish Reformation through Knox.

Look closer

  • Why would a city like Geneva become a magnet for religious refugees in the 16th century?
  • What does it mean that this building passed from Catholic worship to Calvin's lectures to refugee congregations?
  • How might teaching in multiple languages here have spread Calvin's ideas across borders?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of John Calvin on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Title page of the 1559 Geneva edition of Calvin's Institutio Christianae religionis, printed by Robert Estienne. Title text reads 'Institutio Christianae religionis... Iohanne Calvino authore.' A woodcut shows a tree with the motto 'Altum sapere' and a figure reaching toward it. Printed 'Geneva, M.D.LIX.'Book

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John Calvin · 1536 (first edition); revised to 1559

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Printed facsimile page titled 'Calvin to Edward VI, King of England, July 4 1552, British Museum', showing a handwritten letter in French script with a signature 'Vostre bon frère ... Iehan Calvin' at the bottom.Letter

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Letter to Edward VI of England

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Painted portrait of a bearded man in a black beret, dark-brown garment, black collar with white linen edge, turned three-quarters to the left against a brown background. Inscription at top reads IOANNES CALVINVS.Painting

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Portrait of John Calvin

Unknown · 1550

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