Jesuit Church, Lucerne

The Jesuit order, founded by Ignatius of Loyola in 1534, were active participants in the Counter-Reformation, the Catholic fight against the birth of Protestantism.

Protestant reformers such as Zwingli in Zurich and Calvin in Geneva divided the predominantly Catholic Switzerland.

In response, the Jesuits were called in to Lucerne by the city council in 1573 to establish a college.

Ludwig Pfyffer, mayor of Lucerne, offered annual financial support to the Jesuits out of his private funds.

The original vestments of Brother Klaus, a famous Swiss patron, are stored in the inner chapel.