⌂ 1 Place de la Cathédrale # Church: 9am–5:30pm daily (til 7pm Apr–Sep); tower: hours vary, check website ∑ lausanne-tourisme.ch/en/P10661
At the centre of Lausanne towers the magnificent Cathédrale Notre-Dame. Begun in the mid-12th century and completed in the 13th, it is the finest Gothic building in Switzerland.
The cathedral is built on the site of a Roman camp and overlies the foundations of Carolingian and Romanesque basilicas. With a central nave flanked by aisles, an ambulatory and a transept over which rises a tower and an apse, the cathedral’s design and decoration show the influence of the French Gothic style. The southern arm of the transept is lit by a 13th-century rose window with stained glass depicting the seasons, the elements and signs of the Zodiac. Consecrated by Pope Gregory X in 1275, Notre-Dame has been a Protestant cathedral since the Reformation. The top of the southwest tower provides a spectacular view of the city and Lake Geneva.
t One of Switzerland’s most visited sights, the Cathédrale Notre-Dame attracts over 400,000 visitors every year.
Experience Western Switzerland
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Innovative organ
The cathedral’s striking organ was the first in Europe to be built by an American, although it was made to Italian Giorgetto Giugiaro’s design, and the first to feature four styles: Romantic, Classical French, Symphonic French and Baroque. Most impressive is that it can be played remotely, by any other organist playing an organ in another part of the world, thanks to a cutting-edge interface system.
Did You Know?
A nightwatchman calls the hour from 10pm to 2am from each of the cathedral’s towers.