Cathedrale de Lausanne
- Visit: about 2 h
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Why go
- Climb 250 steps to the bell tower’s viewing platform, 67.5 metres high.
- A tower lookout has called the hours every night since 1405, continuing a tradition that began as fire protection.
- The early-13th-century south transept rose window depicts the medieval known world, including elements, seasons, months and zodiac signs.
- The Portail peint, added to the south wall of the nave around 1225–1235, retains medieval sculpture and traces of its original colour.
- The great organ was the first built by an American organ builder for a European cathedral.
Opening hours
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Don't miss
- Flamboyant west portalBuilt from 1515 to 1532; its sculptural decoration was entirely renewed in the 20th century.West portal
- Coloured muralsPainted murals remain near the rose-window chapel and in the entrance area.Near the rose-window chapel and entrance area
- PulpitA 16th-century pulpit stands on a northern nave pillar.Northern nave pillar
- Seven bellsSeven bells hang across two levels of the belfry; five are more than 300 years old, and they still mark the hours.Belfry
- Otto de Grandson’s tombThe 14th-century tomb is for an envoy and friend of King Edward I of England.Cathedral interior
Know before you go
- The cathedral belongs to the Evangelical Reformed Church of the Canton of Vaud.
Tips for your visit
- Listen for the lookout calling the hour toward each cardinal direction between 10 pm and 2 am.
- Guided tours of the organ can be requested in English, French or German.
Interesting facts5
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The great organ has two consoles, five manuals and one pedalboard.
Lausanne Cathedral - Wikipedia -
150,000 working
The great organ took 150,000 working hours to build and weighs 40 tons.
Lausanne Cathedral - Wikipedia -
A street once passed through the western nave bay; the passage closed in the 16th century.
Kathedrale Notre-Dame (Lausanne) - Wikipedia -
1220
Villard de Honnecourt sketched the south transept rose window around 1220–1230.
Lausanne Cathedral - Wikipedia -
The soft molasse sandstone has required near-continuous restoration since construction was completed.
Kathedrale Notre-Dame (Lausanne) - Wikipedia
Shorts
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Cloches - Lausanne (VD) cathédrale - le bourdonQuasimodo Sonneur-de-Cloches
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46°31’20.7 N 6°38’07.2 E - Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Lausanne - The Li…Jasm One
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Guet de la cathédrale de Lausanne filmé au droneValentin Dubach
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Cloches - Lausanne (VD) cathédrale - cloche 7Quasimodo Sonneur-de-Cloches
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[4K] Drone - Cathédrale de LausanneDProd
History
Bishop Landry de Durnes oversaw construction of the ambulatory choir at the cathedral’s eastern end.
- 6th centuryA church dedicated to Saint Thyrsus stood on the site; it later became known as Saint-Maire.
- c. 1170–1215Construction began under an unknown master mason around 1170. A second master mason resumed work about twenty years later, continuing until 1215.
- c. 1215Jean Cotereel completed much of the existing building, including a porch and two towers.
- 1225–1235The Portail peint was added to the south wall of the nave, with sculpted figures and surviving polychromy.
- 1275Pope Gregory X consecrated the cathedral to the Blessed Virgin Mary, with King Rudolph I and Bishop Guillaume of Champvent attending.
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- 1536The Reformation transferred the cathedral to a Protestant denomination. A new liturgical area was added to the nave, and interior decoration was covered.
- 1874Viollet-le-Duc restored the cathedral.
- 20th centuryRestoration work revived painted interior decoration and renewed the west portal’s sculptural decoration.
- December 2003The great organ was inaugurated after a decade of design.
Sources: Lausanne Cathedral - Wikipedia · Cathédrale de Lausanne - Wikipedia · Kathedrale Notre-Dame (Lausanne) - Wikipedia · Cattedrale di Losanna - Wikipedia · checked 24 Sep 2026
- Phone
- +41 21 316 71 61
Questions and answers
How old are the bells at Cathédrale de Lausanne?
The oldest dates to 1493 and the newest to 1898. Seven bells hang across two levels of the belfry.
What happened to Cathédrale de Lausanne’s previous organ?
The Kuhn organ, installed in 1955, was later moved to the Polish Baltic Philharmonic in Gdańsk. The current great organ has two consoles, five manuals and one pedalboard.
Has a woman served as a lookout at Cathédrale de Lausanne?
Cassandre Berdoz became the first female deputy lookout in 2021.
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