Former Franciscan cloister

The former Franciscan monastery in Werthenstein (Kloster Werthenstein) sits on the banks of the Emme in the canton of Lucerne. For centuries it anchored one of central Switzerland's best-known pilgrimage sites. The village of Werthenstein itself grew up around the pilgrimage, and the monastery and pilgrimage church still define it.

What is the history of the site?

Local legend tells of a gold washer who heard angelic singing by the Emme around 1500. Reports of healings spread, and a first chapel with three altars was consecrated in 1520. During the Reformation a Pietà arrived from Fribach in the canton of Bern, and it became the focus of devotion.

In 1607 the Lucerne council ordered a new church, consecrated in 1616. Federal records give 1630 as the monastery's founding year, and in 1636 it passed to the Franciscans of Lucerne. A spring found in 1634, later called the Gnadenbrünneli ("little spring of grace"), added to the draw. At its peak in the 17th and early 18th centuries, accounts speak of up to 80,000 pilgrims a year, though that figure is not firmly documented.

How did the monastery come to an end?

In 1798 the authorities banned the admission of novices. In 1826 the stone vault of the church nave collapsed. The Lucerne government dissolved the community in 1838 and the furnishings were auctioned off. The church continued as a parish church, and from 1909 the Missionaries of the Holy Family used the former monastery inn. Renovations from 1953 gave the complex its present look.

What can you see today?

The pilgrimage church and the former monastery buildings in the Emme valley. The site is listed in the Swiss inventory of cultural property, so it counts as a monument of regional importance. Its riverside setting makes it easy to pair a visit with a walk in the surroundings.

When should you visit?

Pick a day with decent weather so you can walk around the buildings as well as look inside the church. Because the church serves a parish, check interior access with the parish or local tourism office before you go.

Frequently asked questions

Is it still a working monastery?

No. The Franciscan community was dissolved in 1838. The church is used as a parish church.

When was the monastery founded?

The federal cultural property inventory gives 1630 as the founding year and 1636 as the handover to the Lucerne Franciscans.

Why did pilgrims come to Werthenstein?

They came for the veneration of the Pietà, stories of healings and the spring discovered in 1634.

Where is Werthenstein?

In the canton of Lucerne, on the Emme river in the Entlebuch region.