Designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen and sculpted by Lukas Ahorn in 1820, this beautiful work of art commemorates the Swiss Guard, massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution.
Never one to mince words, Mark Twain described the sculpture as "the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world." Looking closely at the painful expression on the face of the mortally wounded lion, you can see why.
The garden setting for this sculpture is both peaceful (despite all the tourists) and extremely beautiful.
Back to the Chapel Bridge and more artworks are to be found. These triangular paintings were completed in the 17th century.
Painted by Hans Heinrich Wägmann, they depict scenes of life and events in Luzern's history. Sadly, many of the original pictures were destroyed in a catastrophic fire in 1993. Only about 30 of the original 147 paintings were fully restored.
Also close to where we were staying, the Church of St. Leodegar is one of the most important landmarks in the city.
Construction began in 1633 on the site of a former Roman basilica and later monastery. Those twin, spiky spires can be seen all over the city.
There is an impressive entrance porch...
and an elegantly carved door...
leading to an extremely ornately decorated interior.
Still more to come...
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