Wasserkirche

thumb|Grossmünster and Wasserkirche with Helmhaus (to the left) as seen from [[Stadthausquai, Münsterbrücke to the left.]] thumb|Grossmünster, Helmhaus and Wasserkirche in Zürich (1770) thumb|Crypt with so called '[[Martyr stone' (Felix and Regula)]] The Wasserkirche () in Zurich, first mentioned as (in the ablative) around 1250 and as wazzirkilcha in 1256, is a church built on a small island in the river Limmat, situated between the two main churches of medieval Zürich, the Grossmünster and the Fraumünster, at the Limmatquai and the Münsterbrücke. It is joined with the Helmhaus.

== Overview == It seems likely that the original building was used for cult meetings. The meetings were centred on a stone now located in the crypt of the church. According to medieval tradition, the site was used for the execution of Saints Felix and Regula. The church was built in the 10th century and modified at various points, culminating in a complete reconstruction that was completed in 1486. During the course of the Reformation, the Wasserkirche was identified as a place of idolatry. Eventually it was secularised, becoming the first public library of Zürich in 1634, when it became a seat of learning that greatly contributed to the foundation of University of Zürich in the 19th century. The island was connected with the right bank of the Limmat in 1839 with the construction of the Limmatquai. The library was merged into the Zentralbibliothek in 1917, and the church was used as a storage room for crops for some time, until reconstruction work and archaeological excavations were undertaken in 1940. Following this the building was again used for services by the Evangelical-Reformed State Church of the Canton of Zürich.