Morges, CH

Morges once upon a time was an important commercial centre. For this reason a port, which nowadays serves as a port for yachts, was built at the end of the 17th century. The promenade along the lake shore of Morges stretches from the castle all the way to the Vertou Park and offers a fantastic view of the lake and Savoy Alps.



La Grande Rue - Main Street




Château de Morges

The Château de Morges which was built in 1286 by Ludwig of Savoy houses several military-historic museums, including the museum of historic pewter figures with 10,000 figures.



A view of the chateau from the port





Entrance to the castle





Galley "La Liberté" Project

The Mediterranean and Baltic Sea are not the only ones that were sailed on by galleys for centuries. This type of boat could also be found on Lake Geneva from the Middle Ages. Galleys were used for battles as well as for leisure and transport.

In 1992 Jean-Pierre Hirt had the idea to build a galley in Morges.


La Liberté

The construction began in 1995, after 3 years of studies.

The main objective was to provide work for the victims of the economic crisis in the 1990’s, as well as to keep the skill of galley building alive.

On June 23rd 2001, the launch of the galley attracted 45 '000 enthusiastic spectators and numerous media (TV and press) to the bay of Morges. The objective had been reached thanks to the will and the hope of more than 600 unemployed people and to the financial and encouraging participation of numerous partners. The result was excellent!


La Liberté on Lac Léman


On July 13th 2002, the galley obtained its licence to navigate with a motor with 120 passengers on board : the visits of the construction site ended … the cruises began …

On May 15th 2004, 72 students from the School of Champittet, helped by 36 rowers from the association of the galley, participate in the first official oars-outing, in a race against the clock at Ouchy. After that some sporting outings were organized.


La Liberté returning to port

In 2006 the sails are finished, but navigation exercises and the obtaining of the licence are still necessary before taking up cruises with sails.


Temple de Morges

This temple is exceptional by its refined architecture of the middle of the 18th century, of French influence. It was built by the architect of Vaud Rodolphe de Crousaz and the Bernese architect Erasme Ritter (Morges was then under Bernese occupation). With the churches of Yverdon and that of the Holy Spirit in Bern, these are probably the most beautiful specimens of the late baroque period in French-speaking Switzerland. The frontage of the temple of Morges is of a great nobility and points out French elegance. Moreover, as a starting point Crousaz use the plans of the Lyon's architect Léonard Roux. The temple of Morges is built in Ionian order. Two very beautiful stained glasses decorate the chorus of the temple of Morges. They are from Karl Wehrli (Zurich, 1896).



Place de l'Eglise

L'Abbaye de Bonmont

The Abbaye de Bonmont (Bonmont Abbey) is a 12th-century Cistercian abbey in Canton Vaud, Switzerland. A simple building amidst beautiful scenery, the Abbey of Bonmont is today used primarily for concerts of Gregorian chant.

Founded in 1098 by Robert de Molesne, the Abbey of Bonmont is one of the oldest Cistercian abbeys. Based on the teachings of St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153) from the start, it was officially linked with the Cistercian order in 1131.


Infront of the Abbey




In 1536, the newly Protestant government of Bern secularized the abbey and demolished most of the buildings. The church was transformed into a granary, a bakery and other secular functions.



Gothic columns


Inside the Abbey


The site was privatized in 1802 and the remaining structures were designated a historic monument in 1942. The property was later given to the Canton of Vaud, which conducted restorations of the abbey beginning in 1982.


The belltower




The restored abbey church was opened June 23, 1995. Since then, it has been run by the Foundation of the Abbey of Bonmont and used primarily for concerts of Gregorian Chant.

Aux Pieds du Jura

St. Pierre Church

The Jura Mountains are a small mountain range located north of the Alps, separating the Rhine and Rhone rivers and forming part of the watershed of each. The mountain range sensu Johann Gottfried Ebel (* 1764, † 1830) is located in France, Switzerland, and Germany. The name “Jura” is derived from the Celtic root "jor" which was latinised into "juria", meaning forest (i.e., "Jura" is forest mountains.


The facade of the St. Pierre Church in Gex, France



St.Pierre Church-Gex, France



St. Pierre in black & white.


In France, it covers essentially the region of Franche-Comté, stretching south to the region of Rhône-Alpes east of the department of Ain, where the range reaches its peak at Le Crêt de la Neige. The southern end of the French Jura is in the northwest of the department of Savoie. The north end is in the very south of Alsace. Roughly 1600 square kilometers of the mountain range is protected within the Jura Mountains Regional Natural Park.

In Switzerland, the range covers the western border, with France in the Cantons of Basel, Solothurn, Jura, Bern (ie Bernese Jura), Neuchâtel, Vaud, and Germany in the Canton of Schaffhausen. It includes also the Canton of Basel-Landschaft. The Swiss Jura has been industrialized since the 18th century and was a major center of the Watch-making industry. Therefore, there are relatively large cities at very high altitudes, such as La Chaux-de-Fonds, Le Locle, and Sainte-Croix (city also renowned for its musical boxes. This area has had a marked decline in population since about 1960. The Swiss Jura is also one of the three distinct geographical regions of Switzerland, the other being the Swiss plateau and the Swiss Alps.

Romainmôtier is a Swiss village in the canton of Vaud. It is in the Jura-Nord district. As of 2007 the village had 470 residents. The village is known for its abbey. The initial phase of the abby begain during the Cluniac movement in the 11th century.


Houses in Romainmôtier, Switzerland


The main street in Romainmôtier


The clock tower

The Cluniac Reform

The Cluniac (Clunian) Reform was a series of changes within medieval monasticism, focused on restoring the traditional monastic life, encouraging art, and caring for the poor. The movement is named for the Abbey of Cluny in Burgundy, where it started within the Benedictine order. The reform was largely carried out by Saint Odo (c. 878 – 942) and spread through France (Burgundy, Provence, Auvergne, Poitou), England, and much of Italy and Spain.


The Abbey of Romainmôtier


The Abbey in B&W


The Abbey's steeple

The impetus for the reform was corruption within the church, particularly simony and concubinage. These abuses were thought to be a result of secular interference in the monasteries, and of the Church's tight integration with the feudal and manorial systems. At the same time, the Papacy wished to reassert control of all clergy and stop the investiture of Bishops by secular rulers. Since a Benedictine monastery required land, it needed the patronage of a local lord. However, the lord would often demand rights and assert prerogatives that interfered with the operation of the monastery. The Cluny reform was an attempt to remedy these practices in the hope that a more independent abbot would better enforce the Rule of Saint Benedict.


Inside the Abbey of Romainmôtier


William of Aquitaine formed the first Cluny monastery in 910 with the novel stipulation that the monastery would report directly to the pope rather than to a local lord. This meant the monastery would be essentially independent, since the pope's authority was largely theoretical at that distance. Further, the Abbot of Cluny retained authority over the daughter houses his monks founded. By the twelfth century the Congregation of Cluny included more than a thousand monasteries.


The gothic infleuence

Among the most notable supporters of the reform were Pope Urban II, Lambert of Hersfeld, and Richard of Verdun. The Cluniac reforms encouraged the Church in the West to be more attentive to business and gave impetus to attempts to reassert control over the Eastern Church.

During its height (c. 950–c.1130) the Cluniac movement was one of the largest religious forces in Europe. At least as significantly as their political consequences, the reforms demanded greater religious devotion. The Cluniacs supported the Peace of God, and promoted pilgrimages to the Holy Lands. An increasingly rich liturgy stimulated demand for altar vessels of gold, fine tapestries and fabrics, stained glass, and polyphonic choral music to fill the Romanesque churches.



Gothic stained glass window


In 1098 Robert of Molesme led a band of 21 Cluniac monks from their abbey at Molesme to establish a new monastery. The group hoped to cultivate a monastic community in which monks could live in stricter observance of the Rule of Saint Benedict. The monks acquired a plot of marsh land just south of Dijon called Cîteaux (Latin: "Cistercium"), and so founded the Cistercian order.

In Germany, the Jura is lower in altitude, stretching into Bavaria in the Swabian and Franconian plateaus.

The mountain range has given its name to the French department of Jura, the Swiss Canton of Jura, and the Jurassic period of the geologic timescale.