The Lausanne Cathedral is a 12th century Gothic edifice, constructed in several stages, beginning with the ambulatory, built with telling Roman masonry. The existing church building was built over the next twenty years, and the western section was then constructed by Jean Cotereel. In fact, it was an entire century since its construction that the church was consecrated in the presence of Pope Gregory X and Emperor Rudolf of Habsburg. Today, the cathedral is an impressive sight even from afar, standing in the foreground with its highest spire and towers, and it remains the largest church in Switzerland. The south façade boasts the beautiful South Rose Window, and flying buttresses that support the choir.

The interior ornamentation of the cathedral was stripped away almost entirely during the Reformation in the 16th century, and the beloved Golden Virgin, a statue that pilgrims often visited to pray during the Middle Ages, was melted to make coins. Nonetheless, the cathedral remains just as impressive today. Enter via the Montfalcon Portal, decorated with various sculptures of biblical figures, and admire the interior, with its prominent polychromy. The Painted Portal features statues not he outside, which are impressive originals dating to the 13th century. The church is also home to the only organ of its kind in the world. You can even find the tomb of Otto of Grandson in the south transept, and brave the 225-step climb to the observation deck on one of the towers to gaze out at the awe-inspiring sight of Lake Geneva and the city itself.