Vaud

History, St. John’s Anglican Church, Montreux

The first Anglican priest was licensed to minister to the British colony at Montreux in 1860. There being no English Church then, services were held regularly for more than fifteen years in the Swiss Protestant Church of Montreux. But before long a move was made to build a church, and in 1875 the original church of Saint John the Evangelist was begun (it was completed in 1878). The British colony soon became so large that the church had to be extended three times. In 1889, a ‘Church Institute’ was built beside the church, soon to house the “English Library”. That organization still exists in Montreux and celebrated its centenary in 1989. In 1954, the Library was moved to allow the Institute to be converted into a residence for the Chaplain of St. John’s.

Date of first Chaplaincy: 1860

Church dates: 1875 to present day

Patron: Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (SPG)

Hotel: Hotel des Alps

Current Status: Regular Services

Sources
St. John the Evangelist Montreux, Pamphlet.

Further Reading
Saint John’s Montreux

History of St. Peter’s, Chateau d’Oex

Château d’Oex had a community of Anglicans as early as 1866 when it was placed on the chaplaincy list of the then Colonial and Continental Church Society (CCCS). Land was given to the Anglican community in 1888 by the Hotel Berthod and the foundation stone of the church was laid on June 28, 1899, by Bishop Wilkinson. The church was opened on 30 September of the same year. In 1905 the building was extended with the addition of a north aisle as it was too small for the number of congregants. Extensive restoration has taken place in 2017 and continues in 2018. St Peter’s holds regular services each Sunday at 17h30.

Date of first Chaplaincy: 1866

 
Church dates: 1899 to present

 
Patron: Intercontinental Church Society (ICS)

 
Affiliated Hotel: Berthod

 
Current Status: Used all year round.

Sources

Further Reading
Hotel Berthod, Château d’Oex
St Peter’s Web Site

Documents of Interest
Petition from Continental and Colonial Church Society (1901)
Consecration of St. Peter’s by Bishop of London (1902)
Commission of St. Peter’s by Bishop of London (1902)

History of St. John the Evangelist, Aigle

Records show that summer seasonal services were held in the Grand Hotel des Bains in 1885. A chapel, named St. John the Evangelist was built in the neo-gothic style in the grounds of the hotel and inaugurated on 21 June 1888. The chapel could seat 70 to 100 people. After the second world war, The hotel was sold to the Commune of Aigle and was demolished in 1947. The church was closed in 1914 and by 1947, after the demolition of the hotel, the building was used for storage. In 1986, the church was demolished following a fire that took place during works on the roof.

Date of first Chaplaincy: 1885

Church dates: 1888-1914

Patron: Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (SPG)

Hotel: Grand Hotel des Bains

Current Status: Demolished in 1986

Sources
Anglicans in Switzerland, Past and Present, Paul Schniewind
Balades dans les rues d'Aigle, Caroline Dey

Further Reading
Grand Hotel des Bains, Aigle

History of St. Michael and All Angels, Caux

The church was built in 1905. It was dedicated on 1 February 1906 to St Michael and All Angels. The Church has beautiful stained glass windows which form a series illustrative of the ministry of angels. They were, except one, a gift from Mr Herbert Edgar Reid. The windows were made in 1906 by Messrs AL Moore and Sons, one of the best-known artisans of that time. The large oak altar in neogothic style, with its four angels holding up the Altar table probably made by a Belgian artist, is another valuable piece of the church. St Michael and All Angels remained closed during World War I. Large scale. repair work had to be done. After the war, Caux was no longer a place of attraction for Anglo-Saxon tourists. The congregation gradually vanished and the church remained closed. In 1944 the building and property were handed over to the Swiss Protestant congregation in Montreux with the right of use for Anglicans. Source Anglicans in Switzerland, Past and Present. Paul Schniewind.

Date of first Chaplaincy: 1891

Church dates: 1905-1944

Patron: Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (SPG)

Hotel: Caux Palace

Current Status: Owned by Swiss Reform Church

Sources
Anglicans in Switzerland Past and Present, Paul Schniewind

Further Reading
La chapelle de Caux: Histoire du lieu

History of English Chapel, Les Avants

The chapel was built for the benefit of Engish tourists in 1872 in the grounds of the Grand Hotel by the proprietors, the Dufour brothers. When Christ Church in Montreux-Clarens was closed in 1968, services in Les Avants were also discontinued. The chapel is now part of the Protestant Reform Church (L’Eglise Evangélique Réformée du Canton de Vaud (EERV)

Date of first Chaplaincy: 1873

Church dates: 1872

Patron: Intercontinental Church Society (ICS)

Hotel: Grand Hotel

Current Status: Owned by Swiss Reform Church

Sources
Anglicans in Switzerland Past and Present, Paul Schniewind

Further Reading
Les Avants, Notre Histoire

History of English Church, Les Diablerets

The Grand-Hotel constructed an Anglican Chapel in 1881. The cost was in large part covered by a subscription amongst English tourists. In 1893, an Association in Ormont-Dessus bought a clock from Aigle and placed it in the tower. The clock was created by the famous artisan Abram Dupertuis. In 1947 the chapel became part of the Swiss Protestant Church

Date of first Chaplaincy: 1866

Church dates: 1881-1947

Patron: Intercontinental Church Society (ICS)

Hotel: Grand Hotel

Current Status: Owned by Swiss Reform Church

Sources
Ormont-Dessous, Ormons-Dessus, La Valle des Ormons

Further Reading
Les Diablerets, Le Grand Hotel

History of English Chapel, Mont Pelerin

English Chapel constructed in the grounds of the “Grand Hotel du Mont Pélerin” around 1906. The chapel was sold to the Protestant parish of Chardonne-Jongny in 1952. The Grand Hotel was transformed into a retirement home in 1957.

Date of first Chaplaincy: 1904

Church dates: 1906-1952

Patron: Intercontinental Church Society (ICS)

Hotel: Grand Hotel du Mont-Pelerin

Current Status: Owned by Swiss Reform Church (Chardonne-Jongny)

Sources
Anglicans in Switzerland Past and Present, Paul Schniewind.

Further Reading
Le Grand Hotel – Mont Pelerin

History of Temple de la Croix d’Ouchy, Lausanne-Ouchy

Date of first Chaplaincy: 1816

Church dates: 1840-1878

Patron: Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (SPG)

Hotel: 

Current Status: Anglican Services moved to Christ Church in 1878

Sources
Anglican worship in Lausanne, Rosemary Raedler.

Further Reading
Eglise anglaise de Lausanne, Wikipedia