Phone +41 77 489 05 79 | ||
 | ||
Address Bahnhofstrasse 11a, 6003 Luzern, Switzerland Similar Church of St Leodegar, Spreuer Bridge, Kapellbrücke, Lion Monument, Museggmauer | ||
The Lucerne Jesuit Church is a church in Lucerne, Switzerland.
Lucerne's Jesuit Church is the first large baroque church built in Switzerland north of the Alps. The Jesuit order, founded by Ignatius of Loyola in 1534, served as papal elite troops in the spiritual fight against Protestantism. Protestant reformers such as Zwingli in Zurich and Calvin in Geneva divided Switzerland, and left Lucerne as the only major Swiss city to stay with the traditional Catholic beliefs. The Jesuits were called in to Lucerne by the city council in 1573 to establish a college. Ludwig Pfyffer, mayor of Lucerne, offered annual financial support to the Jesuits out of his private funds. The Jesuit College of Lucerne was established in 1577 in Ritter Palace, a building originally erected in 1557 as a residence for mayor Lux Ritter. The construction began in 1667. By 1673 the shell of the church and the main façade were completed. The church was consecrated in 1677, though the interior was not yet really finished. Several side altars were still missing and even the high altar was only erected four years later, due to financial problems. The onion topped towers were not completed until 1893. he vault was redecorated in the mid-18th century. The original vestments of Brother Klaus, a famous Swiss patron, are stored in the inner chapel.