St. Lawrence catholic church and ossuary

St. Lawrence Catholic Church and ossuary in Rodersdorf form a protected church ensemble on Kirchgasse, in the westernmost village of the canton of Solothurn. The parish church (Kirchgasse 2) and the former Beinhaus, or charnel house (Kirchgasse 4), share one plot and both appear on the cantonal list of protected buildings.

Where is Rodersdorf?

The village lies in the Dorneck district, at the back of the Leimental valley, at roughly 391 m above sea level. It is an exclave of Solothurn, surrounded by Basel-Landschaft and France: about 88% of the municipal boundary is the national border with Alsace. The church sits at about 47.481 N, 7.456 E.

How do you get there?

Take BLT tram line 10, which ends in Rodersdorf. The route crosses French territory (Leymen stop) and counts among the longest tram lines in Europe. From the terminus you walk through the village to the church.

What is the church's history?

Rodersdorf first appears in records in 1226 as Ratolsdorf. In 1277 the right of patronage over the church passed from the lords of Pfirt to the Rotberg knights of Basel, and in 1515, together with their lordship, to Solothurn. The village stayed Catholic through the Reformation, although a minority carried out an iconoclastic campaign. The church reached its present size through an enlargement between 1670 and 1680, and the parsonage was rebuilt in 1643. As a border village it was often exposed to war: Basel burned it in 1409 and Solothurn in 1445.

What will you see?

The parish church dedicated to St. Lawrence stands together with the former ossuary on Kirchgasse. A Beinhaus was where bones dug up from the churchyard were once stored. Here it stands beside the church, with the parsonage nearby. The church is an active parish church, so plan an interior visit around service times.

What else is nearby?

The area holds traces of very early settlement: a Roman villa, a Gallo-Roman temple, the abandoned early medieval settlement of Biedersdorf and an early medieval cemetery with grave goods have all been found at Rodersdorf. Today the village has about 1,400 residents and has had a local rail link to Basel since 1910, which makes it an easy half-day trip from the city.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an entrance fee? Opening times are set by the parish, and interior visits are limited during services.

Can you enter the ossuary? The former Beinhaus at Kirchgasse 4 is mainly something to view from outside, as part of the church ensemble.

Is the site protected? Yes. The church (Kirchgasse 2) and the former charnel house (Kirchgasse 4) are listed in the protection register of the canton of Solothurn.

How do you get here from Basel? Ride tram line 10 to the Rodersdorf terminus. The line passes through France, so carry an ID document.