Vevey's Sainte-Barbara church celebrated its 140th anniversary in 2018. During this year, a first cycle of restoration work - for the church's exterior - was completed: facades cleaned, roofs and water returns renewed, dome restored and redecorated.

Interior restoration urgently needed

It is now imperative to move on to the interior work. Since it was built in 1878, the church has undergone a few makeshift renovations, but its rich interior is now in a worryingly dilapidated state.

It's time to move on to the interior.

Restoration of the badly deteriorated wall paintings is essential to ensure their preservation. The stained glass windows, marble and carved wood also need to be restored, as do the precious icons and numerous liturgical objects that are part of the church's identity.

The church's interior is in a worrying state of disrepair.

To discover the interior of the church, you can take a virtual tour (created and offered by Archéotech SA's Captiva360 service) by clicking on the button below.

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Table of contents:

Urgent work

• Restoration of interior decor and historic liturgical objects
• Rehabilitation of obsolete technical installations

Other work required

• Restoration of the garden and access for people with reduced mobility
• Installation of a bell tower
• Fitting out a community hall

Work costs

Authority support

 

Obsolete technical facilities

The obsolete technical installations, namely the heating, electrical, lighting and security systems, must also be urgently renewed to meet current standards and ensure the safety of the church's guests, as well as the preservation of the murals and canvases.

Rehabilitation of obsolete technical installations

The heating, electrical, lighting and security systems urgently need to be overhauled, as they are outdated and no longer meet current standards. This will ensure the safety of the premises and the quality of the conservation conditions for the church's painted decor.

The heating, electrical, lighting and security systems need to be urgently overhauled, as they are outdated and no longer meet current standards.

With a view to restoring the wall paintings, we must first intervene on the heating system. As the obsolescence of the installations is accelerating the degradation of the church's interior décor, simultaneous technical modernization and restoration of the painted décor are indeed essential.

At the same time, the heating system must be restored to its original condition.

Other work required: garden, bell tower and community hall

Restoration of the garden and access for people with reduced mobility

The garden surrounding the church needs to be redeveloped. In particular, access for people with reduced mobility must imperatively be made possible through the installation of a stair lift, so that they can enter without being lifted up the steps. The dignity and safety of these people, for whom easier access to a place of worship such as this must be provided, are at stake.

Installation of a bell tower

The installation of a bell tower was not possible when the church was built in 1878. Yet it is a major architectural and spiritual symbol, integral to Orthodox tradition as it is to other Christian denominations. Today, it is important to remedy this shortcoming. This bell tower would, however, be modest in size and placed next to the church, taking care to preserve the harmonious character of the site.

Fitting out a community hall

The church currently has no space specifically designed to accommodate its parishioners. One solution would be to redevelop the basement into a community room, a space for listening and exchange between members of the parish. This initiative would strengthen social ties within the Orthodox community in French-speaking Switzerland and even beyond, and would be an additional vector of integration for parishioners.

Cost of work

The most urgent work to be undertaken is the restoration of the painted decor, the church's 500 historic liturgical objects, and the rehabilitation of outdated technical installations. These tasks were estimated at 3.63 million francs during feasibility studies carried out in 2019-2020 and conducted by DOM architectes associés.

The other necessary works to be planned, namely the redevelopment of the garden with access for people with reduced mobility, as well as the installation of a bell tower and the fitting out of a community room in the basement would, for their part, come to a cost of 1.96 million francs. This work, which is important if the church is to offer its parishioners the best possible conditions, will be carried out if the success of the fund-raising campaign allows. All in all, the restoration work would thus amount to 5.59 million francs.

Tax-deductible donations

As the Foundation is recognized as being in the public interest by the State of Vaud, it should be noted that any donation may be deducted on the donor's tax return.

Independent from the parish, this foundation statutorily guarantees that the money raised through it will be allocated in full to the completion of the church's restoration work. It will be dissolved on completion of the work.

or via the dedicated portal - Make a donation, participate in the religious effort

Fondation pour la restauration de l'Eglise Orthodoxe Sainte-Barbara de Vevey
Rue des Communaux 12
1800 Vevey

IBAN: CH870021521513361801A

Bank UBS - BIC : UBSWCHZH80A