Luzern
Mariahilf
Building data
Denomination | Roman Catholic
Building type | Church
Year of construction | 1676 – 1681
Architect | Mayer, Heinrich
Town, canton | Luzern, LU
Street address | Museggstrasse 21
GPS | 47.054408, 8.306433
Google Maps | Swisstopo
Reuse
Year of reuse | 2012
Ownership | Unchanged
Building interventions | Unchanged
Form of use | Shared use
Type of use | Church
Brief information | After several years of closure, the church is now used by various Christian groups.
Further information | see below
Status of information
Entry created | 2017/08
Entry last updated | 2017/08
Further information
The former Ursuline convent in Mariahilf has had an eventful history. Called to Lucerne in 1659 to found a girls’ school, the Ursulines were forced to leave the city in 1798. The convent, built between 1776 and 1781 by the Jesuit friar Heinrich Meyer, served as the seat of the Helvetic government from 1798 to 1799. The convent was re-established in 1843, only to be dissolved again in 1847. The girls’ school was incorporated into the municipal schools, which still use the building as a school today. The former convent buildings are partly used for administrative purposes. The church, deconsecrated in 1798 and converted into a parliamentary chamber, was reconsecrated in 1815. From 1847 to 2005, it formed part of the Hofkirche as a chaplaincy. Since then, its repurposing has been the subject of discussion. The university and the music school have expressed an interest, and its conversion into a mosque was briefly considered. Since 2012, the church has been used as a ‘House and School of Prayer’ ’ by the charismatic movement ‘Renewal through the Spirit of God’; the Schönstatt Movement, which provides the curate, and the youth organisations ‘Adonay’ and ‘Jugend 2000’ are also involved. It also serves as a place of worship for the Spanish Mission. On 9 December 2013, following a second phase of renovation, the church was reopened. The altar was reconsecrated and received a new relic of Saint Nicholas of Flüe.