Hofkirche St. Leodegar

The Hofkirche St. Leodegar is the collegiate church of Lucerne, Switzerland, standing in the Hof district above the north shore of Lake Lucerne. The site is the historical origin of the city: a Benedictine monastery dedicated to St. Leodegar is documented from the 8th century and gave its name to the settlement known as Luciaria, from which Lucerne developed. The church was long the spiritual centre of the town. A large Romanesque and Gothic building stood here until a fire in 1633 destroyed most of it, leaving only the two west towers, which date to the 1500s and still define the skyline. The present nave was rebuilt in the following decade in a Late Renaissance style with Gothic echoes, a mixture that gives the interior its distinctive character. The building holds a celebrated organ, built in the mid-17th century by the Geisler family of organ builders and since enlarged, which is among the best-known instruments in Switzerland and is played in regular concerts. The pulpit, choir stalls and carved altars date from the 17th and 18th centuries, and the cloister-like churchyard with arcades houses memorials to Lucerne families, including soldiers who served abroad. The church is dedicated to the martyr Leodegar, a 7th-century bishop of Autun, who is remembered in the stained glass and statuary. In the 20th century the interior was cleaned and restored, and the building remains an active parish church for the Catholic community. Visitors can enter freely outside services and walk through the nave and arcade. The approach is largely self-guided, and information panels outline the church's history. The church is a short walk from the Löwendenkmal and the lake promenade.