For international tourists, the beautiful green pastures, rivers, lakes, the Alps and ski resorts of Switzerland are not the only sites of attraction. Gothic-style cathedral, churches and other buildings equally offer the serenity of richly preserved the Mediaeval and Middle Ages architecture to those interested in art, built heritage, sacred material and visual culture. The art and architecture in Switzerland underwent many changes during the Reformation and Protestant period in the 16th century which are reflected in the sacred art and material culture.

In a recent group trip to the city of Lausanne, a French-speaking part of Switzerland, located at an hour’s distance by train from Bern, I had the opportunity to see and explore the marvellous and splendid heritage and sacred material culture of the grand Cathedral of Notre Dame of Lausanne.

Given my anthropological background, I was interested in historical buildings, and material and visual culture of the past. And, the grand Lausanne cathedral proved to be an exceptionally marvellous place to explore and learn about past human experiences and expressions of sacred art and architecture.

Seeing the beautifully preserved Lausanne cathedral, one can’t help thinking about the pitifully neglected state of historical, architectural marvels in our cities

The cathedral, a Gothic style 12th -13th century building located on a hilltop, is an emblem of sacred tangible culture. Construction on the cathedral started towards the end of the 12th century. During the Middle Ages, this cathedral has been a central place of worship and pilgrimage; pilgrims came to pay homage and pray before the miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary, the ‘Golden Virgin’, which was later damaged during the Reformation.

Based on the Gothic stone architecture, the cathedral has huge, tall towers, exterior and interior designs and decorations with carvings, sacred sculptures, extra large arches, stained-glass windows, flying ramparts. Most significantly the beautiful Gothic-style rose window on the southern façade, including the Biblical and evangelical figures, adorn the portals and façade.

Sharing the history of the construction of the cathedral and the Christian beliefs associated with the miracles of the Virgin Mary, our guide, Simone Maye, told us that the main part of the cathedral was built between 1190 and 1235 and was dedicated to Mary. During the Middle Ages, people strongly believed in the mysterious wonders of the golden statue of Mary.

The 16th-century Reformation movment played a colossal role in introducing socio-political changes, especially in the religous life and character of the European society. The Mediaeval and Middle Ages European Catholic religious ideas and practices were challenged and opposed by the Reformation and Protestant movement. Describing the rise of the Protestant Movement and its impact on Lausanne Cathedral, Maye said, “After invading Lausanne in 1536, the Bernese imposed Protestantism, and took away all the treasures from the cathedral: metal pieces were melted and the beautiful tapestries and the monumental communion table were transferred to Bern.”

Maye explained that since the Reformation and Protestantism prohibited decoration in places of worship “during the Reformation attacks on the cathedral, statues and paintings were damaged and destroyed except for a few which survived in their original form. You can see the noses of statues which were cut down by the attackers”.

Maye further explained, “Until the beginning of the 16th century, the main entrance was through the painted portal at the south aisle / alley instead of the western side portal. Here, the pilgirms were greeted by (carved sandstone statues of) Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary as well as by the two groups of three prophets of the Old Testament and two groups of three evangelists of the New Testament.” These full-sized carved statues marked the welcoming and benevolent faces with beautiful colours; they feature the use and interplay of sacred art, architecture and material culture in the ancient times to express devotion and homage to the holy religious figures and objects.

The exceptionally beautiful and asthetically superb art and architectural structure of the Lausanne cathedral is its interior south rose-window’s tracery based on geometrical designs and symbols. Inside the cathedral, geometrical designs reflect the multicoloured light falling through the rose window. Maye told us that two thirds of the original glass in the rose window has been preserved.

Explaining the significance of the rose window, Maye explained, “The theme of the rose is an image of the world — Imago Mundi. It reflects the beauty and the goodness of God’s creation. Its extraordinary and highly coherent design seems primarily a desire to the cosmological knowledge of that era express in architecture. It seems that a highly educated and universalist architect rather than a scholar theologian would have designed it.”

Incredibly, the rose window is the masterwork of art and architecture reflecting cosmological knowledge of that era. As our guide explained, “The design of the tracery is based on a circle which has neither a beginning nor an end. The square inscribed in the circle symbolises the created world. All around the circle, there are groups of three medallions with a head in each which represent the winds. In each corner of the square, a seated person pours water; they represent the rivers pouring from Paradise’s fountain and flowing out in the four directions to irrigate the world. Corresponding to the four seasons, it represents the four basic elements — water, air, fire and earth.”

In terms of art and architecture, the rose-window design is known as the treasure of the cathedral and is immensly admired for its rich symbolism and cosmological knowledge which has been carefully restored and preserved over centuries.

From the rooftop of the outer building of the cathedral, we took the pleasant view of the beauty of Lausanne city and moved to our next destination. During the walk, careful preservation of heritage and tourism in Switzerland reminded me of the pathetic situation of historical architecture, heritage and the old buildings in the cities throughout Pakistan especially pre-Partition Hindu and Sikh heritage.

Writer is an anthropologist and ESKAS doctoral student in University of Bern, Switzerland. Email: rafique_anthro@hotmail.com

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, December 20th, 2015