Werthenstein Monastery
The Werthenstein Monastery in the canton of Lucerne stands on a rock above the Kleine Emme .
history
The history of the monastery begins in the 16th century and is associated with an angelic apparition. The story of the angels that a gold washer claims to have seen and heard spread quickly among the people. This and various inexplicable healings called for a structural designation of the venerated place. So the first chapel with three altars was built, which was consecrated in August 1520. During the Reformation the miraculous image came from Fribach (Canton Bern) to Werthenstein . The Pietà became the center of the new pilgrimage.
The old chapel was soon unable to cope with the stream of pilgrims and the Lucerne Council decided in 1607 to build a new church. The miraculous image was given a place of honor on the cross altar. In 1616 the bishop Johan Jakob Mirgel inaugurated the pilgrimage church. In 1631 the church hill was measured and plans were made for the monastery building. A document proves that the monastery was handed over to the Franciscans on May 5, 1636 .
On February 5, 1826, the tufa vault of the nave of the church collapsed. Only 12 years later, the Lucerne government closed the monastery after banning the admission of novices in 1798 . She auctioned the furniture and used the monastery for a short time as an institution for the deaf and dumb. The pilgrimage church was used as a parish church, and over the next 100 years, apart from a few remains, the once rich furnishings of the monastery were scattered to the wind. From 1909 the monastery inn and the so-called "ark" served the missionaries of the Holy Family . Various renovations from 1953 onwards gave the facility its current appearance.
Architecture and equipment
The entrance to the church is flanked by the Pfyfferkapellen. The nave is kept rather simple. Elaborate eye-catchers are the high altar and the artfully carved pulpit. When looking at the murals, one encounters the Wendelink Chapel at the northeast corner , which is inconspicuously integrated into the arcade sequence.
Place of pilgrimage
Around 1530 around 30,000 pilgrims came to Werthenstein every year and the number was increasing. In the 18th century there were already around 80,000 pilgrims. Werthenstein was once the second largest place of pilgrimage in Switzerland, right after Einsiedeln. Even today, pilgrims from near and far find their way to this place of worship of Mary. Werthenstein is on the Way of St. James . The pilgrims follow the path along the banks of the Kleine Emme. The river valley narrows shortly before Werthenstein. After a bend, the monastery “Our Lady” and the pilgrimage church are visible above a band of rocks.
Picture gallery
Interior view of the pilgrimage church
Left side altar
Pfyfferkapelle, which flanked the pilgrimage church
literature
- Anton Bürkli, Anton Schwingruber: Werthensteiner village chronicle. Helvetia accident, Zurich.
- Heinz Horat: Swiss art guide - pilgrimage church Werthenstein LU. Edited by the Society for Swiss Art History.
- Lothar Emanuel Kaiser: pilgrimage church Werthenstein, history of the parish Werthenstein. Publishing house Die Region, Emmenbrücke.
- Lothar Emanuel Kaiser: Pilgrimage Guide of Switzerland. Publishing house pilgrimage guide.
Web links
Coordinates: 47 ° 3 ′ 15 ″ N , 8 ° 6 ′ 13 ″ E