Restoration of St. Peter’s Anglican Church – Château d’Oex

On the afternoon of 1 September,  St. Peter’s, the English Church in Château d’Oex, was packed with friends and well-wishers.  They had come to listen to a special concert in the church featuring Sara Marques and Jystyna Jarzab performing works by Bellini, Britten, Chopin, Dvoják, Gounod, Liszt, Mozart, Puccini, and Verdi.

The Concert d’Amitié was a celebration of an important milestone in the restoration of this Anglican church, originally built in 1899.   

The concert was also an occasion to pay tribute to Hans Kilchenmann who worked so tirelessly in the previous 18 months to raise donations for the stained glass windows.  Hans passed away in March 2018 and did not see the completion of this project.

The situation of the restoration of St. Peter’s is the following:

• The eleven stained glass windows in the nave have now been fully restored;
• Triple glazing has been added to prevent heat loss;
• Electrical wiring dating back to 1930s has been removed and a modern electrical system has been installed;
• New heating elements have been installed under the pews with radiators along the North aisle.
• The inside of the church has been completely repainted;
• Energy efficient LED lights have been installed in the hall, nave, gallery and chancel.
• The entrance hall has been renovated. A new entrance features windows with hand-engraved drawings by the English artist Phillip Lawson Johnston.
• Funds have been raised for the three chancel windows. These will be restored in 2019 or 2020.

Since St. Peter’s is completely self-funded, this major restoration was only possible thanks to many donors who made such generous contributions.