A jewel of monastic Baroque architecture - St. Urban
Overview
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Intro
The St. Urban monastery complex blends harmoniously with the largely manmade landscape in this part of Canton Lucerne. Alongside the magnificent church, the conventual wings with their spacious quadrangles also make an imposing sight. From the second half of the 19th century, in 1873 to be precise, until 2023 (150 years), part of the monastery served as a clinic for people with mental illness. Today, the monastery is used for cultural events, the arts and as an office building. The monastery church also serves as a place of worship for the parish of St Urban.
The Cistercian monastery with its tall, twin-towered Baroque church and massive conventual wings is an impressive sight even from afar. It was founded in 1194 by monks from Lützel Abbey in Alsace. Over the years, it evolved into a major religious and economic centre in a district where the cantons of Bern, Solothurn, Aargau and Lucerne meet. After the abolition of the Helvetic Republic through the Act of Mediation, the monastery was intermittently administered by the state and finally sold in 1848.
The monastery is surrounded by an exquisite park enclosed by tall walls. The complex also encompasses three farm estates, of which the splendid Hof Neuschür is the best preserved. St. Urban monastery underwent a major refurbishment in the eighteenth century. That was when the present church was built, while the conventual wings were reconstructed and sumptuously furnished. Yet as early as 1873 the monastery was converted into a psychiatric hospital, which was continuously expanded until the 1980s. Between 1930 and 1950, a separate, systematically planned residential quarter was created for the hospital staff.
Trip tip
The former monastery is a day-trip destination with a wide range of cultural offerings. Rooms can be rented for events. A monastery bakery and the "Löwen" monastery inn are located nearby. The monastery is just under a two-hour walk from Langenthal.
ISOS
ISOS is the Federal Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites of national importance. The inventory is maintained by the Federal Office of Culture (FOC) and lists the most significant settlements in Switzerland. Today, some 1,200 places are included in the inventory, from hamlets right through to cities. The inventory provides information on the development and identity of the settlements listed in it, thereby contributing to the preservation of architectural diversity in Switzerland and promoting both sustainable planning and a high-quality Baukultur.
