Basilica of Our Lady of Geneva 1852 and 1857 on the site of a former stronghold fortifications. This neo-Gothic building, whose appearance is partly inspired by the Beauvais Cathedral, could break ground thanks to the city of Geneva, which had ceded land to religious communities to build places of worship, and through donations and manual labor provided by the Geneva Catholics. The dedication is celebrated October 4, 1857. Father Gaspard Mermillod, future episcopal vicar of Geneva then cardinal pronounced the sermon. He was later expelled from Switzerland by the government. After the coming to power of an anti-clerical government, Notre Dame is occupied on June 5,
University of Geneva university holds and actively pursues teaching, research, and community service as its primary objectives. In 2016, it was ranked 53rd worldwide by the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities, 89th by the QS World University Rankings, and 131st in the TIMES Higher Education World University Ranking. UNIGE is a member of the League of European Research Universities (including academic institutions such as Amsterdam, Cambridge, Heidelberg, Helsinki and Milan) the Coimbra Group and the European University Association. The University of Geneva is located in several districts in the eastern part of the city and in the nearby city of Carouge (on