Of Water and Cheese — Wrapping Up with Hofkirche St. Leodegar and the Museggmauer

It was time to say goodbye to the Dying Lion.  I headed back and passed by the Hofkirche St Leodegar (The Church of St. Leodegar).

The Church of St. Leodegar, the Catholic Foundation of Luzern

St. Leodegar is Luzern’s patron saint.  In the Chapel Bridge, some of the historic paintings feature scenes of the martyr’s life.  With beautiful twin towers, the Church of St. Leodegar was “one of the art history rich churches of the German late renaissance period.”[1]

Unlike many other locations in Switzerland, Luzern has remained Catholic.  In fact, it was in the center of the Counter-Reformation raised by the Catholics in Switzerland.  The Jesuit Church south of River Reuss was a key player in this episode.

The Church of St. Leodegar was long the site of Catholic worship and monastery.  In fact, the church was part of the monastery that in turn founded Luzern.[2]  It stands on the former foundation of a Roman basilica.  In 8^th century, the site was known as Monastarium Luciaria, with a church in Gothic architecture.  The Benedictine monastery became a collegiate church in the 15^th century, and since then, the “college of canons, a non-monastic community of clergy, has recited the Divine Office every morning and evening.”[3]  A fire destroyed the church in 1633, leaving only the two original gothic towers intact.[4]

Since 1874, the church served simultaneously as both a monastery church and a parish church with the founding of the parish church of St. Leodegar.[5]

The Musegg Wall

The Musegg Wall is a structure of the 14^th century.  It spans the length of 800 meters.  And subsequently, the people of Luzern added the nine towers.  Like the Chapel Bridge, it was a protective mechanism for Luzern.  There are nine towers, four of which are open to tourist visits during the warm months of the year.  As mentioned before, I went at a time that it was closed, and I had to miss the spectacular views that it must have offered of Luzern and Lake Luzern.

The Wall begins with the Nolli Tower in the west above the Geissmatt Bridge, and ends at Museggstrasse 7, at the eastern end of the Old Town.[6]  I was determined, however, to do a walk to the extent I could, and I did find the very noticeable sections of the Musegg Wall within the Altstadt.  I saw few people, and I enjoyed the exploration without the need to consult the map.

If I visit Luzern again someday, I would definitely see the Zyt Tower.  It was erected in 1442, featuring a clock with a dial large enough to have been read by the fishermen on the lake.  Its bell, the Leodegar Bell, “strikes the hour one minute before the other church clocks in the city.”[7]

And this entry concludes my series on travels in Switzerland.

[1] The Wikipedia on the Church of St. Leodegar (Lucerne).

[2] Myswitzerland.com, Hokirche St. Leodegar (Court Church of St. Leodegar) Luzern.

[3] Luzern.com, Church of St. Leodegar, Luzern’s Parish Church.

[4] Id.

[5] Supra note 1.

[6] Inyourpocket.com, Museggmauer.

[7] Luzern.com, Musegg Wall and its Nine Towers.