Venues & stages
Chapelle catholique de Caux
- Type
- Catholic chapel
- Address
- Route des Deux-Chapelles 2, 1824 Caux
On the heights of Caux, above Montreux, the Catholic chapel was built to meet the spiritual needs of the palace clientele, in part British. Its construction was funded by a series of charity concerts: in 1905 the young pianist Arthur Rubinstein lent his talent, giving a concert at the Caux-Palace with the orchestra of the Caux hotels. The chapel was inaugurated in 1906. It should not be confused with its neighbour, the Anglican chapel of St Michael (1906), later Reformed: the “Route des Deux-Chapelles” keeps the memory of the pair.
The Catholic chapel of Caux, born of a concert
A chapel for the palace clientele
At the turn of the twentieth century, Caux became a resort of palace hotels suspended above Lake Geneva, dominated by the vast Caux-Palace inaugurated on 7 July 1902. Its international, largely British clientele also had spiritual needs: two places of worship were built for them, a pairing the “Route des Deux-Chapelles” still recalls by name.
One is Anglican, the chapel of St Michael, consecrated on 1 February 1906, transferred to the Vaud Reformed Church in 1946. The other is Catholic. It is the latter this place recalls, not to be confused with its Reformed neighbour.
1905: a charity concert with Arthur Rubinstein
To build the Catholic chapel, fundraising events multiplied. In 1905 the great pianist Arthur Rubinstein, then eighteen and staying at the Caux-Palace, lent his help: he gave a charity concert at the hotel with the orchestra of the Caux hotels, seats at fifteen or ten francs.
That concert was only one of the many events staged to advance the project. With the funds gathered, the Catholic chapel was inaugurated the following year, in 1906.
Related artists :Arthur Rubinstein