The Cathedral of Saint Lawrence in Lugano will reopen for worship tomorrow, Saturday 14 October, after seven years of painstaking restoration works. Tomorrow’s Eucharistic celebration, with the dedication of the altar, will be preceded today by an official re-opening ceremony which will be attended by representatives of cantonal institutions, the Swiss Bishops’ Conference and local institutions. The Apostolic Nuncio to Switzerland, Archbishop Thomas Gullickson, will also be present as the Pope’s representative. The Bishop of Lugano, Mgr. Valerio Lazzeri, will preside over the Eucharistic celebration for the re-opening and dedication of the altar, which will be broadcast live by RSI (Television service in Switzerland’s Italian-speaking region) starting at 9am on Saturday. Since a large influx of faithful is expected from all over the Ticino canton, a big screen has been erected in the episcopal gardens. According to data from the Diocese of Lugano, the restoration cost amounted to €13.6 million, mainly raised through private donations and public subsidies. The church of Saint Lawrence was built in 818 to serve the parish. In 1078, it became a collegiate church. In 1884, it became the see of the Apostolic Administration for Ticino, from which the Diocese of Lugano, established by Pope Paul VI in 1971, derives. Today all that is left of the original Romanesque church are the pillars and arches of the nave, while the choir and aisles are Gothic, and the high altar and other furnishings are Baroque.