Reformed Church of St Mark

About the building

On Tellplatz the church, bell tower, parish hall and vicarage are loosely spread across a generous green space. The mostly rendered buildings are partly clad in sandstone on the ground floor and linked by covered walkways under gable roofs. The slender tower is a skeleton of exposed concrete with a small gable roof. In the forecourt stands a fountain with figures of the wise and foolish virgins, carved in limestone by Max Fueter in 1956.

In 1946 a competition was held for a church complex with school buildings. The two winners, Karl Müller-Wipf and Henry Daxelhofer, joined forces and planned the centre together; it was built from 1948 to 1951. It was conceived as the heart of Wankdorf, where the Wankdorffeld Nord housing estate was going up at the same time. The building inventory sees in it the post-war attitude that combines modern construction with traditional forms and materials. In 1954 the complex received an award for good buildings of the city of Bern.

The east-facing church is a two-aisled hall of concrete frames. Next to the tall main space lies a low side aisle behind round pillars. Light enters mainly through coloured clerestory windows; the stained glass is by Robert Schär. For acoustic reasons the north wall is angled in a sawtooth pattern and has no windows. On the east wall Walter Clénin painted an enthroned Christ in 1966; the pulpit and font are by Max Fueter, and the carved figures on the organ gallery by Theo Weigel.

Today the complex faces change. According to the Berner Zeitung of April 2024, the parishes of St Mark and St John are merging and plan to meet here in future; the buildings are to be renovated for 14 million francs, with church use taking up only about a third of the ensemble. Until then an interim use is testing new ideas: architecture students of the Bern University of Applied Sciences are taught in the church and live in the former vicarage, and an association runs an open café.

Researched and summarised by Bärn Kit. Sources: Bauinventar der Stadt Bern: Tellstrasse 31–35, 33A · Bauinventar der Stadt Bern: Baugruppe Wankdorffeld Nord · Berner Zeitung, 17. April 2024: In Stadtberner Kirchen wird studiert, gewohnt und getrunken (PDF bei der BFH) · Wikidata: Q29651722