The pretty, whitewashed Anglican St. Peter's Church, otherwise known as "The English Church," stands on a rocky ledge overlooking the village and holds a special place in Zermatt's history. During the golden age of alpinism, and the pioneering age of tourism, the majority of the visitors to the village came from England. Initially, Sunday services for English-speaking guests were held in the Monte Rosa and Mont Cervin hotels, but an increasing number of guests expressed the wish to have an Anglican church built. So St. Peter's was founded on donations from wealthy benefactors—some local, some English—including village hoteliers Alexander Seiler and Joseph Clemenz, and the relatives of Lord Douglas and Douglas Robert Hadow, two of the climbers who fell to their death during in the first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865. The church's foundation stone was laid in 1869, the first mass was celebrated in 1870, and the church was consecrated in 1871. Plaques inside the church recall mountaineers associated with Zermatt. The remains of the Reverend Charles Hudson, who also died during that fateful first Matterhorn ascent, are buried under the high altar. The church regularly holds services in English.