The organ in the church is truly a marvel to those who can appreciate the artistry in its conception.
2,826 pipes adorn the mighty beast, and it includes a machine which mimics the sounds of rain, thunder and hail (presumably to make the presence of God heard, and felt, in the booming deep tones).
As you enter the church, you can gaze towards the altar, and while it's not the biggest I've seen during my travels, it's certainly one of the most colourful, with a black choirscreen and maroon surrounding gold painting frames either side.
The altar sits behind, in black marble, flanked by 2 statues of the church's patron saints (also on the main doors) - St. Leger - a French bishop who was blinded with a drill, and St. Maurice*, the martyred Roman soldier-saint.
*St. Maurice was a Roman soldier, ordered in 287 AD by Emperor Maximian to serve against his fellow Christians in campaigns against Gaul. Maurice refused, and Maximian had the whole legion slaughtered. Interestingly, Maximian is long forgotten, but Maurice has had 4 cathedrals, 598 churches and 74 towns around the world named after him, as well as two countries - Mauritius and Mauritania.
This grand church sits on the site of the original monastery, dating back to before the 8th century, and dedicated to St-Leodegar (St. Leger).
The Romasque church which replaced the monastery in the 12th century burned to the ground on Easter Sunday 1633, reputedly by the vicar's careless shooting at birds.
Only the twin towers escaped destruction, and they survive today either side of a Renaissance entrance (somewhat out of place with the original towers).
The oldest known church site in Lucerne is where the Hof Church (Hofkirche) stands. It was the site of the Benedictine monastery that was built in the 8th century. The old church was partly destroyed by a fire in 1633, but reconstructed a few years later. It's considered the most important church of the Renaissance period in Switzerland.
A monastary has been on this site since the 8th Century predating the city of Lucerne. The present day structure was built in the 17th Century and served as the court church.
Don't know exactly what the history of this church is but it's said to be the main Cathedral of the city and the most important Renaissance church in the country.
Great Gothic towers enclosing another beautiful church (although the original chuch burnt down in the mid seventeenth century.. but was rebuilt on the same foundations in the same style)
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