Lausanne Cathedral celebrates 750th birthday

Lausanne celebrates 750 years of cathedral Keystone-SDA

Lausanne Cathedral has celebrated its 750th anniversary with a ceremony featuring musical interludes and speeches, including government minister Guy Parmelin.

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This anniversary does not mark the end of the cathedral’s construction, which took place between 1170 and around 1235, but rather its consecration. On that day, October 20, 1275, Pope Gregory X officially inaugurated Notre-Dame de Lausanne, in the presence of Emperor Rudolf of Habsburg.

Parmelin who praised a cathedral “that envelops us in its tranquillity, solemnity and beauty”. He said he had “an inevitably admiring and reverent regard” for the Gothic edifice, “a symbol of the unity and influence of the Vaud community as a whole”.

Evoking a few personal memories of Lausanne’s cathedral, the Federal Councillor hailed it as “a place of life” with a “multifaceted” vocation, whether spiritual, cultural, social or institutional.

A treasure to be preserved

For her part, the president of the canton Vaud government, Christelle Luisier, described the cathedral as “a place that watches over Lausanne”, “a presence and a landmark” that is part of the landscape but also part of the inner life of the people who visit it.

She also emphasised the determination of Vaud to continue to preserve “this treasure” for future generations, as demonstrated by the regular renovation campaigns carried out on the building.

Also invited to speak, Philippe Leuba, president of the Synodal Council of the Evangelical Reformed Church in the canton of Vaud, spoke of the cathedral and its history as “a challenge” in the face of “immediacy and superficiality, two scourges of our time”.

The former cantonal politician also drew laughter from the audience when he compared the decades it took to build the cathedral with the delays at Lausanne station.

The afternoon was enlivened by a few musical moments provided by Jean-Christophe Geiser, the cathedral’s titular organist. The ceremony concluded with a blessing from the local pastor, Line Dépraz.

Medieval weekend to come

The 750th anniversary festivities are not limited to this official ceremony. They began in February with various concerts, tours and exhibitions, and will continue until the end of the year.

The next event, designed for the general public, is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday with a “medieval weekend”. Various demonstrations by craftsmen and weapons masters will be on offer, as well as guided tours and concerts. Other highlights include an interfaith celebration on Sunday November 16.

Translated from French by DeepL/mga

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