Lucerne, Switzerland, set out to fix pipes and paving in its Old Town Franziskanerplatz and wound up with a major archaeological find: the remains of two churches belonging to an ancient hospital.
The repair work also turned up skeletons believed to belong to the former Franciscan monastery nearby, whose garden became a cemetery when the city outgrew its burial space in the 1700s.
The Heiliggeist-Spital, or Holy Spirit Hospital, existed in the area from the 1200s, but was torn down in 1656. Its church, newly rediscovered, was torn down in 1788 after it had fallen into disrepair. Plaster fragments indicate there are colorful frescoes in the choir section.
In the course of the new excavations, an even earlier church, dating to about 1345, was found on the site. It may be some time before those street repairs can be finished!
Photo: Lucerne’s Old Town with Chapel Bridge (Ivo Scholz/Swiss Tourism)
