Santa Lucia Church

Santa Lucia Church (Chiesa di Santa Lucia) in Massagno is the neo-Romanesque parish church of a municipality bordering Lugano, in the Swiss canton of Ticino. It dates from 1931 and houses artworks rescued from an older church of the same name, which was pulled down that year.

What is the history of Santa Lucia in Massagno?

The Historical Dictionary of Switzerland (HLS) places the parish church of St Lucy in Massagno at around 1530. For centuries the village belonged to the parish of Lugano, and it only became an independent parish in 1927.

The first firm record of the old church is from 1578. It was a sixteenth-century building, though its exact construction date is unknown. In June 1931 it was demolished to widen the cantonal road, Via San Gottardo. The present church went up the same year, a few hundred metres from the old site.

What can you see inside and at the old site?

Works from the old building were moved into the new church. The most notable are:

• a sixteenth-century fresco of the Adoration of the Magi, transferred to canvas and linked to Bernardino Luini or his pupils,
• an Annunciation painting from 1636,
• a seventeenth-century image of St Lucy.

The current building follows a neo-Romanesque style. Where the demolished church stood, a monument designed in 1960-61 by architect Alberto Finzi marks the spot. Its pointed-arch form echoes the position and size of the lost apse, so a short walk there helps you picture the original church.

How do you get to the church?

Massagno sits right next to Lugano, in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. From central Lugano you can walk, take a bus or make a short drive. The church lies in the built-up part of the municipality, at roughly 46.013 N, 8.943 E.

When should you visit?

It is a working parish church, so visit outside services and keep quiet inside. Check opening hours with the parish beforehand. Allow 20-30 minutes, and pair the stop with a day in Lugano.

Frequently asked questions

Is this the church that was demolished in 1931? No. The old church was torn down in 1931 for road widening. The present building was erected the same year elsewhere, and part of the furnishings moved with it.

Who painted the Adoration of the Magi fresco? The authorship is uncertain. It is associated with Bernardino Luini or his pupils.

What style is the current church? Neo-Romanesque, according to the Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.

What stands on the old church's site? A monument by Alberto Finzi from 1960-61, whose pointed-arch shape recalls the apse of the demolished church.