Lausanne Cathedral

The Notre Dame Cathedral is the former episcopal church of the diocese of Lausanne and now main Protestant church of the city of Lausanne in the Swiss canton of Vaud. It is considered a major Gothic building in Switzerland and fundamentally influenced the further development of Gothic architecture in the region.

Architectural History

The Mary as Our Lady (French: Notre Dame), dedicated Cathedral is the successor of the existing church since the 6th century church, which was dedicated to St. Thyrsus and later bore the name Saint- Maire. The Carolingian building was replaced around 1000 by a Romanesque church. But only a few decades later they started again with a new building.

There are three phases can be distinguished:

• From about 1170 the ambulatory was built on the east
• 1215 began the architect Jean Cotereel with the completion of the nave and the construction of the Western financial statements of the Church

To 1225-1235 added to the remarkable figure because of his jewelery and preserved polychrome Portail peint at the southern outer wall of the nave. In 1275, finally, the Notre Dame Cathedral was consecrated in the presence of Pope Gregory X and King Rudolf von Habsburg.

Architecture

The Cathedral of Lausanne follows the typical scheme of a Gothic basilica with two towers on the western front (only one tower was built ) joins the three-aisled nave to which the - crosses the transept crossing increased - by a square lantern tower. The eastern end is the chorus along with handling. Despite the various construction phases of the building looks stylistically - as in the wall structure - quite uniform. Some features, however, are worth mentioning:

So the position defined by ambulatory longitudinal axis of the church was shifted slightly in the following phases. Next, the first two yokes ( wall sections ) of the nave are jointly covered by a six-part vaults, while in the course of each yoke receives a four-part ribbed vault. This change is a hallmark of the transition from the Early to the High Gothic period, which thus reflects in the Lausanne Cathedral.

The columns of the nave are decorated unusually uneven. In addition to clustered piers, there are also the more traditional massive circular columns. They, too, are added to the vault provides up -ranging services, but do not connect firmly to the pier, but rather unrelated standing next to it.

Also striking is the westernmost bay of the nave. It is wider than the other and has particularly strong supports. These were originally intended to carry a single tower in the escape of the nave. After this solution was discarded in favor of a two- tower front, the western Langhausjoch served as a passage for a road that crossed the church at this point. Until the 16th century, under Bishop Aymon de Mont Falcon, the passage was closed.

In the tenure of this bishop also the establishment of the West Portal Flamboyant (1515-1532) whose rich figural decoration, however, falls in the 20th century had to be completely renewed. Just beyond the entrance is still affecting the edge of the original portal recognizable.

A comparison of the structure about the almost simultaneously resulting Chartres Cathedral, or Notre- Dame in Paris (late 12th century) may illustrate his position within the development of the Gothic style.

Equipment

Altars

From the rich medieval interior of the Cathedral - inter alia numerous side altars - has little survived the Reformation.

Window

Significant is the rose window in the transept, which dates from the early 13th century. Your created by the so-called Master of the Rose of Lausanne image program includes no less than a representation of the known world: the earth and the sea, air and fire, seasons, months and zodiac signs, as well as monsters, lurking on the edge of the world. The remaining stained glass windows were created by artists of the 19th (Alfred Gerente ) and 20th century ( Ernest Biéler, Louis Rivier and Marcel Poncet ).

Choir stalls and pulpit

The large choir stalls of the 13th century was only partially preserved and is now no longer in the cathedral. A second choir stalls, made ​​of 1509 under Bishop Aymon de Mont Falcon, can be seen in the chapel of St- Maurice ( in the substructure of the unexecuted northern tower ). The pulpit at one of the northern nave pillars also dates from the 16th century.

Wall painting

In some places (chapel near the rose window, entrance ) there are colored murals. The colored version of the entire interior in gray and ocher tones corresponding to the original state of the building.

Organ

The organ system was planned and implemented with the participation of U.S., Canadian, Swiss, Italian, English and German companies. , Led by the American organ builder Charles Brenton Fisk The instrument was completed in 2003. The instrument has 110 registers on five manual and pedal works and in addition has a remote station (about 7000 pipes in total). It can be controlled by two gaming tables from. The organ can be assigned to four disposition styles: While the Positif de Dos is scheduled baroque, the other works are scheduled in a classic French, symphonic French or German romantic style.

Restoration

The building material of the cathedral is molasses, a soft sandstone. Its low resistance has led to the cathedral since its completion virtually permanent restoration work to be carried out.

Since the 18th century, these works are fairly well documented. At this time, the complete demolition of the church in favor of a new building was discussed. In the 19th century, asked the French Gothic specialists Viollet -le- Duc for help. According to his plans a comprehensive, about 60 -year-long restoration of the entire building was made in 1874. Some of the changes were executed here again " derestauriert " in the 20th century in favor of greater authenticity. At the beginning of the 21st century hold the efforts to preserve the building unabated.

Others

As a cantor at the Cathedral of Lausanne worked from 1545 Guillaume Franc.