The Hofkirche is an impressive structure sitting on the former site of the first monastery of Lucern. This monastery dated back to the mid-8th century and was dedicated to Saint Leger. The Romanesque church that replaced the monastery in the late 12th century was burned to the ground on Easter Sunday in 1633 by accident, with only its twin towers surviving. Today the towers rest on either side of a strange looking Renaissance gable.
A late Gothic sculpture on the north tower portrays the Agony in the Garden. The church features a carved pulpit and 17th century choir-stalls of 1639. If you visit in the summer, you can attend recitals utilizing the church’s famous organ. In the surrounding lovely arcades are the tombs of members of previous Lucerne families. The grand main doors to the church were carved with two patrons of Lucerne on either side. On the right is Saint Maurice, a Roman soldier, and on the left is Saint Leger, a French bishop who was blinded by a drill.
Löwenstrasse goes south from Löwenplatz to the riverbank. Right just before you reach the Schweizerhofquai, you hit the straight St-Leodegarstrasse that leads east to the storied steps up to the Hofkirche.
