Église du Saint-Rédempteur

Église du Saint-Rédempteur in Lausanne is an early twentieth-century Catholic church on avenue de Rumine, close to the city centre. It belongs to a period when Catholics in long-Protestant Lausanne were only just regaining places of worship of their own.

What is the Église du Saint-Rédempteur?

It is a parish church in the Diocese of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg. According to the city administration, it was the third Catholic place of worship built in Lausanne since the Reformation. Notre-Dame du Valentin in the centre and the Sacré-Cœur at Ouchy, on the lakeshore, came before it.

Who designed it and when was it built?

The architect was Louis-Albert Brazzola. The design competition took place in 1913, and construction ran from 1915 to 1916, so the church opened while the First World War raged beyond Swiss borders. Lausanne lists the building in its architectural heritage inventory. Vaud heritage guides tie it to a return to early Christian models that shaped the city's religious architecture in the first years of the century.

What will you see?

The entrance is at avenue de Rumine 33 A. Outside, the compact volume reflects an era that looked to the simplicity of the first Christian centuries for inspiration. Inside you find a nave and a choir, both repainted during the refurbishment that preceded the centenary.

The 2015–2016 works covered the roof, drainage, electrical systems, painting of the nave and choir, and a reworked entrance hall and narthex. The total cost was estimated at about CHF 1.6 million, with the city contributing CHF 720,000 and the parish covering the remainder. The schedule aimed to finish in time for the church's hundredth anniversary in September 2016.

How to plan a visit

Combine the church with a walk along avenue de Rumine, where several of the city's cultural institutions stand. The building sits at roughly 46.517 N, 6.643 E. To go inside, avoid service times and keep voices low. Current Mass times are published by the Catholic parish of Lausanne.

For context, visit the other two churches in the same story, Notre-Dame du Valentin and the Sacré-Cœur at Ouchy. Together they show how Catholic life took root again in the city.

Frequently asked questions

When was the Église du Saint-Rédempteur built?

Between 1915 and 1916, following an architectural competition in 1913. It turned one hundred in September 2016.

Who was the architect?

Louis-Albert Brazzola.

Where is the church?

On avenue de Rumine in Lausanne, with its entrance at number 33 A.

Is the church still in use?

Yes. It is a parish church of the Catholic community in Lausanne, within the Diocese of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg. Check the parish for service times.