Lausanne Cathedral, built between 1170 and 1235, is one of the most important Gothic monuments in Switzerland. In the Middle Ages, it became an important place of Marian pilgrimage, attracting up to 70,000 people a year. Pilgrimages ceased when the cathedral became Protestant in 1536 and the silver-gilt statue of the "enthroned Virgin with Child" was melted down. In its present state, the church dates largely from the complete restoration of 1892-1909.
The Reformed Church of St. Francis was built in the middle of the 13th century as a convent church. The complex burned down in 1368, but the church was rebuilt. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the church was threatened with destruction for town planning reasons, but it was eventually conserved and is now classified as a Swiss cultural property of national importance.
The Synagogue in Lausanne is an Ashkenazi synagogue built between 1908 and 1910 by architects Charles-François Bonjour, Oscar Oulevey and Andrien Van Dorsser. This Neo-Romanesque brick building still serves as a synagogue.
The priory Romainmôtier was built on the oldest Romanesque building in Switzerland, a monastery of the 5th century. The current building was built from 990 to 1028 as a Cluniac abbey. From the sixteenth century and the spread of Protestantism, the priory lost considerable importance and was partially abandoned. Restored in the 20th century, the priory is now a Protestant church.
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