Cathedral of Notre Dame of Lausanne, view from the tower.

Photographed on the Friday 23 May 2014.
The old town of Lausanne sits on Lake Geneva and dates back to the Middle Ages. The old city was once constructed mostly of wood and consequently burnt down a number of times. So when the construction of the Notre Dame Cathedral began in ca 1175, night watchmen were stationed around the building to call to each other to ensure no fires had broken out and to warn if one had. It was not until 1275 that the Cathedral was finally consecrated by Emperor Rudolph of Habsburg and Pope Gregory X. Since that day, every night the Watchman walks up 153 steps to the top of the tower and continues to this day i.e. today the watchman calls out to the four directions every hour ‘’this is the nightwatch; the hour has struck’’. This image was taken from the top of the tower looking down on some parked bikes and pedestrians. The Cathedral of Notre Dame is the spiritual home of French-speaking Switzerland and attracts visitors from all over the world.
More information can be found here:
http://www.lausanne.ch/en/thematiques/culture-et-patrimoine/architecture-et-monuments/lausanne-medievale/cathedrale-de-lausanne.html
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/switzerland/lausanne-cathedral
http://www.myswitzerland.com/en-gb/lausanne-cathedral-lausanne.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lausanne_Cathedral

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