Lausanne experienced a first golden age between the 12th century and the middle of the 14th century in a rapidly developing Europe. At the time, the city was the capital of a small state, the Lausanne diocese, the base of a major diocese of the same name, an important point on the route to Italy and a place of a popular pilgrimage. It extended over the hills of the City, the Bourg and Saint-Laurent and into the valleys separating them. It had 5,000 to 6,000 residents. The Cathedral is the symbol of that time, from which only a few rare, yet remarkable, gothic monuments remain.
