Coat of arms of the Canton of Lucerne

Two lions – animals which symbolize strength – hold the crowned coat of arms shield of Lucerne. One is holding the Lucerne banner, the other is presenting the sword of state power. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 001a)

The giant from Reiden

In 1577, gigantic bones are discovered, which City of Basel physician Felix Platter declared as those of a giant. The painter Hans Bock the Elder reconstructed him in a painting. As presumably the oldest person in the history of Lucerne, he opens the cycle. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 001)

The luminous chapel as the origin of Lucerne?

Legend has it that a light-bearing angel was seen at the spot where the Court Church stands today. That is why a chapel was built there, in the year 630, and consecrated to Saint Nicholas. Lucerne is said to draw its name and origin from this light. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 002)

Light or fish?

Did the city of Lucerne draw its name from this lighting phenomenon depicted on the panel? “Lucerna” stands for light. Doubt is cast on this theory. “Lucerne” could be derived from “Lucius” (Latin for pike), which would suggest a fishing settlement. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 003)

Kloster im Hof (monastery in the court)

Founded around 750, Kloster im Hof (monastery in the court) is first documented in 840, but then declines. Around 850, the monastery is restored by the priest Wichardus. Accompanied by the patron saints Leger and Maurice, Wichardus presents the model of the church to Mary, the Mother of God. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 004)

The building of Kloster im Hof

The Benedictine Kloster im Hof (monastery in the court) is built. Saint Benedict is watching over the building work being carried out. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 005)

The city of Lucerne is growing

The city of Lucerne is developing. This painting depicts the city around 1615 and is based on a brochure of the city that was completed by Martin Martini in 1597. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 006)

The commander and the ensigns

The Lucerne commander, accompanied by both ensigns of the city and town, is riding a prancing horse. The men’s attention is focused on what is happening in the distance, which requires decisive action from them. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 007)

Ready for the Schützenfest

Three ensigns stride around waving their standard, just as they have practised for their performance at the Schützenfest (marksmen’s festival). The standard bearers are depicted as representatives of the Markmen’s Society of Lucerne, which dates back to 1424. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 008)

The banner-bearer of the district of Willisau

The ensign, wearing Willisau’s colors, presents the banner of the town of Willisau, which is visible in the background. In 1407, Lucerne acquires the district of Willisau from the Habsburgs. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 009)

The banner-bearer of the District of Rothenburg

First documented around 1130, the barons of Rothenburg were one of the most powerful noble families in the Lucerne region. In 1385, Lucerne conquers Rothenburg, which is represented on the ensign’s banner. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 010)

The banner-bearer of the District of Entlebuch

The people of Entlebuch buy themselves free from the Habsburgs in 1358 and ally themselves with Lucerne, becoming a subject territory of the city (Burgrecht) in 1385. The banner shows a beech tree and a cross with a crown of thorns and nails bestowed by Pope Sixtus IV in 1479. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 011)

The banner-bearer of the town of Sursee

The town of Sursee is founded by the Kyburgers in the middle of the 13th century. The Habsburgs take control in 1278 and grant it town rights (Stadtrecht) in 1299. Sursee comes under the rule of Lucerne in 1415 and now uses the red and white horizontally-divided banner. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 012)

The banner-bearer of the town of Sempach

In a reference to the Battle of Sempach, the flag depicts a red lion rampant of the Habsburgs, who founded the town of Sempach shortly before 1234. Sempach becomes a subject territory of Lucerne (Burgrecht) in 1386. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 013)

The banner of the bailiwicks of Lucerne

Nine banner-bearers are arranged in a semicircle. They represent the bailiwicks of Lucerne: Ruswil, Münster (Beromünster), Büron and Triengen, Merenschwand, Knutwil, Horw, Malters, the District of Habsburg and Weggis (from left). The bailiwicks of Ebikon, Reussegg and Wikon are not represented. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 014)

The first messenger of the faith in Switzerland

Paul the Apostle is said to have ordained Beatus as a priest and instructed him to serve as the messenger of the faith in Switzerland. He is said to have lived in a cave near Beatenberg on Lake Thun, having driven away a fearsome dragon. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 015)

Gruesome history of the monastery at Einsiedeln

Meinrad is ordained as a priest at the monastery on Reichenau. He retreats to the Finster Wald (Dark Forest), where he builds a hermitage. In 863, two robbers murder him. Two ravens pursue them until they are captured. In 934, the Einsiedeln Monastery is built on the spot where he was murdered. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 016)

The Franciscan Monastery in Lucerne

Legend has it that the lady Guta von Rothenburg sponsored the founding of the Franciscan Monastery in Lucerne in 1233. It was certainly in existence by 1269. According to another legend, Francis himself stayed in Lucerne for a while. The painting shows the sponsor ceremoniously entering the church. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 017)

The pilgrimage church at Werthenstein

Around 1500, a Dutchman lives in Werthenstein from gold panning in the Emme. At night, he sees lights and hears singing. He pins a picture of the Virgin Mary to a fir tree. People come here to pray. The authorities in Lucerne eventually build a pilgrimage church here in 1616. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 018)

The Cistercian Abbey for women at Eschenbach

The founding of the Cistercian Nunnery at Eschenbach was sponsored by Walther III of Eschenbach in around 1292. A Cistercian nun in a white habit with a black veil prays to Saint Symphorosa, who appears in Heaven and whose remains were moved to the nunnery in 1652. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 019)

The Cistercian Abbey for women at Rathausen

DIn 1245, Peter Schnyder, from Lucerne, and his son granted the pious sisters the Riedholz plot of land near Ebikon, thus enabling the Cistercian Nunnery at Rathausen to be built. Visible in the background are the mountains around Lake Lucerne. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 020)

The Cistercian Abbey for men at St. Urban

The barons of Langenstein founded the Cistercian abbey of St. Urban in 1194. St. Bernard of Clairvaux stands on a hill in the white habit of the Cistercians and points to the monastery, which is presented in its state after the Baroque reconstruction. (According to scientific numbering: panel 021)

The institution of the Johanniterkommende at Hohenrain

Order of Saint John was founded by charitable brothers and sisters. Its hospital in Jerusalem, which is dedicated to John the Baptist, dates back to 1100. The Knight Rudolf von Hohenrain sponsored the founding of St John’s Hospital in Hohenrain in around 1175. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 022)

Reiden and Wikon Castle

George, on horseback, fights the dragon that is threatening to devour the daughter of the King of Silena. As a saint venerated by the Crusaders, he is a reference to the institution of the Johanniterkommende at Reiden (right). He is also the patron saint of the chapel at Wikon Castle seen in the background. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 023)

The legend of the founding of the Collegiate Church of Beromünster

Legend has it that on a hunt one day Adelbero, son of Count Bero of Lenzburg, fought and was crushed by a bear. At the site of the accident, Bero sponsored the founding of the Collegiate Church of Beromünster. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 024)

Thanks to the Emperor, they were allowed to blow their horns

Chroniclers report that, in 811, Emperor Charlemagne fought in Provence against the Moors. His son Roland was captured. Because the Lucerners had particularly distinguished themselves, Charlemagne allowed them to blow “Great War Horns” (Harsthörner), much loved by Roland. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 025)

It doesn’t go quite so well with the dragon

The Nidwaldner Struth Winkelried is banished for manslaughter. He offers to slay a threatening dragon so as to win back his citizenship. Struth slays the dragon in Ennetmoos, but the hero is poisoned by the dragon’s blood. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 026)

Gessler takes exception to Stauffacher’s house

Werner Stauffacher, the Landammann of Schwyz, has built himself a beautiful new house in Steinen. Gessler, the Austrian bailiff, rides up and asks who owns the house. Stauffacher doffs his hat submissively, saying: “This house is your fief and mine.” (According to scientific numbering: Panel 027)

The bailiff’s servant with the broken finger

The Austrian Imperial bailiff standing on the Landenberg in Sarnen sees the magnificent oxen of a farmer in Melchtal (Melch Valley). He sends a servant to unyoke and take possession of the oxen. Arnold, the farmer’s son, beats the servant, breaking one of his fingers. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 028)

Naked bailiff slain in the bath

On one of his journeys, the Austrian bailiff Wolfenschiessen comes across a beautiful young farmer’s wife in Altzellen. He orders her to prepare a bath for him. She does what she is told, but also alerts her husband, Konrad. He slays the bailiff with an axe. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 029)

William Tell refuses to bow to Gessler’s hat in Altdorf

To force the people of Uri into obedience, Gessler, the bailiff, erects a pole in Altdorf upon which he places his hat. Everyone has to bow and pay respect to the hat. William Tell, the hunter, goes past the hat with his son, but refuses to bow to it, whereupon he is arrested. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 030)

Tell shoots at the apple

Gessler, the bailiff, orders William Tell to shoot an apple from his son’s head at a distance of 120 steps. Tell begs Gessler in vain for mercy. Tell hits the apple, but still remains in captivity. He manages to flee and kills Gessler in the Hohle Gasse (Hollow Lane). (According to scientific numbering: Panel 031)

The three Confederates swear an oath on the Rütli

Werner Stauffacher, the Landammann of Schwyz, a member of the Fürst family from Uri and Arnold von Melchtal swear to stand by each other. To plan and coordinate their efforts, they go to the Rütli every night and meet with kindred spirits. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 032)

The Battle of Morgarten

To his “Gemälde der Kapellbrücke in Luzern” (The Paintings of the Chapel Bridge in Lucerne) collection, published in 1828, Karl Martin Eglin added one last painting – no. 74, which depicts the Battle of Morgarten of 1315. This painting was never actually displayed on the Chapel Bridge. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 032a)

Skirmishes on Lake Lucerne

Lucerne is a Habsburg city. The Habsburgs bar the rebellious forest cantons from the Lucerne market. Between 1292 and 1315, there are skirmishes on the lake. The Lucerners invade Buochs, Stansstad and Alpnach by barge; the forest cantons attack Lucerne. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 033)

The Lucerners deliberate joining the alliance

The Imperial bailiwick of the forest cantons, which has existed since 1309, maintains relations with the Imperial cities of Zurich and Berne, but not with the Habsburg city of Lucerne. In 1316, after the Battle of Morgarten, Lucerne seeks to forge closer ties with the forest cantons. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 034)

Lucerne forms an alliance with the forest cantons

In 1332, Lucerne forms an alliance with the forest cantons. The representatives from the city and cantons, as well as from Gersau and Weggis, are gathered to swear an oath of allegiance. It likely takes place in Peter’s Chapel in Lucerne. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 035)

Acts of violence by the Knight Peter von Thorberg

The Knight Peter von Thorberg, the Austrian bailiff of Entlebuch, Wolhusen and Ruswil, ruthlessly enforces his rights as ruler. He is said, at Christmas in 1385, to have captured a number of citizens from Lucerne at the customs house in Rothenburg and had them hanged. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 036)

The Night of Murder of Lucerne

The Night of Murder of Lucerne probably took place on 24 July 1343. The saga is known under the name “The Night of Murder of Lucerne”, when a shrewd boy saved the Confederates from an attack by supporters of Austria. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 037)

Fire on the right bank of the city of Lucerne

The center of the city of Lucerne burns down on Peter and Paul’s Day 1340. The city is visited by catastrophes time and again: fires, storms and floods. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 038)

The Musegg procession

An annual procession is held in honour of the Mother of God. The Musegg procession takes place on 25 March and becomes the most important ecclesiastical event of Central Switzerland. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 039)

The Lucerners destroy Neuhabsburg Castle in Meggen

At the time of the conflicts between Central Switzerland and Austria, the Lucerners, with the help of the forest cantons, defeat the Habsburgs on Lake Lucerne at Meggen at Whitsun in 1352. Neuhabsburg Castle is burned down. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 040)

The victorious battle at Buttisholz

During the Hundred Years War between England and France, a mercenary leader invades Alsace in 1375. The soldiers are called “Gugler” because of their pointed helmets, Gugle being a Swiss German term for cowl or point. The Lucerne troops drive the detachments of soldiers out of Buttisholz. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 041)

The destruction of Rothenburg Castle

The city of Lucerne’s forming of an alliance with the forest cantons, Lucerne’s expansionist territorial policy and the Habsburg bailiffs’ acts of violence lead to conflicts with Austria. On 28 December 1385, the Lucerners invade the town of Rothenburg and capture the castle. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 042)

The enlargement of the federal alliance

The alliance between the forest cantons and Lucerne was enlarged in the middle of the 14th century to become a “confederation of eight”. Further alliances follow, as heralded by the many coats of arms depicted. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 043)

The Battle of Sempach

Lucerne provokes Duke Leopold III of Austria so much that the latter gathers an army of knights and goes to war with Lucerne. It comes to a battle at Sempach on 9 July 1386. The Confederates win a much acclaimed victory. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 044)

The Lucerners take Sursee and St Urban

At the Council of Constance in 1415, King Sigismund of Luxembourg imposes a ban on his opponent Frederick IV of Austria and encourages the Confederates to invade Habsburg Aargau. The Lucerne troops take Sursee and St. Urban. (According to scientific numbering: plate 045)

The conquest of Baden

In the conflict between King Sigismund of Luxembourg and Frederick IV of Austria, the Confederates invade Aargau in 1415, conquering the city of Baden and destroying Stein Castle, the seat of the Austrian administration for Vorderösterreich (Further Austria), where the Habsburg banner flies. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 046)

Lucerne may pronounce bloody punishments

At the Council of Constance, King Sigismund in 1415 confirms Lucerne’s privilege to practise blood jurisdiction (“bloody punishments”) granted by King Wenceslas. Lucerne is elevated to the rank of imperial city. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 047)

King Sigismund on a visit to Lucerne

While participating in the Council of Constance, the German King and later Emperor Sigismund visits federal cantons, including Lucerne on 29 October 1417. He is received by the authorities and walks solemnly to the Court Church. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 048)

The Battle of Arbedo

The Urners and Unterwaldners take the lower Leventina from the Milanese in 1403 and buy the district of Bellinzona in 1419. The Gotthard route is secured. In 1422, the Milanese capture Bellinzona and inflict a heavy defeat on the Central Swiss at Arbedo. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 049)

The Confederates cross the Birs at St. Jakob

In the battle against the Confederates, the Austrians form an alliance with the French King Charles VII. The latter marches his Armagnac army towards Basel. In 1444, a federal contingent throws the Armagnacs back across the Birs. (According to scientific numbering: plate 050)

The Battle of St Jacob on the Birs

Following the retreat of the Armagnacs back over the Birs, the Confederates advance towards Basel. Suddenly, they face the Armagnac army, which is superior with around ten times as many men. At the Battle of St Jacob on the Birs, they are encircled and completely wiped out. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 051)

The miracle of the Holy Blood of Willisau

In 1392, a journeyman loses all his money in a card game. He throws his dagger up into the air and curses that he would like to stab Christ in the side. With that, five drops of blood land on the table and the devil takes the wicked journeyman. This is the miracle of the Holy Blood of Willisau. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 052)

The Eucharistic miracle of Ettiswil

In 1447, Anna Vögtlin steals a host (sacred bread) from the Parish Church of Ettiswil. She throws it into nettles at the edge of the village. Margret Schulmeister, the swineherd, finds the host. It is ceremoniously returned. This is the Eucharistic miracle of Ettiswil. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 053)

The battle on the ox field at Mulhouse

The city of Mulhouse, besieged by the Habsburgs, has allied itself with Berne and Solothurn. In 1468, knights from the surrounding area, Habsburg feudal lords, gather before Mulhouse. Confederates rush to help and drive 300 knights from the ox field at Mulhouse. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 054)

The capture of Orbe

Charles the Bold, the Duke of Burgundy, wants to build a great empire and threatens the Confederates. In 1474, the Confederates declare war on Charles the Bold at the instigation of Berne. In Héricourt, they defeat a Burgundian army. They attack and capture the town of Orbe. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 055)

A show of gratitude for the brotherhood in arms

Following the conquest in Vaud in 1475, in which Lucerners also participated, the Bernese welcome their fellow Confederates outside the city with 400 armed youths, the council and the citizens to thank them for their brotherhood in arms. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 056)

Charles the Bold lays siege to Grandson

In February 1476, Charles the Bold lays siege to the small town of Grandson with his roughly 20,000-man-strong army. The Bernese garrison is unaware that the Confederates are on their way and surrenders after only three days to the besieging army. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 057)

The Gaudot Affair

This panel was not created until 1768. It depicts the Gaudot Affair. In 1747, the King of Prussia introduces a new tax regime in his principality of Neuchâtel. The citizens of Neuchâtel fight back and kill the king’s representative, Claude Gaudot. Berne, as arbitrator, occupies the city. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 058)

Hanged and drowned

Going against his promise, Charles the Bold has the garrison of Grandson, which is made up of men from Berne and Fribourg, executed, despite them having surrendered. All 412 defenders are hanged and drowned. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 059)

The Battle of Grandson

On 19 February 1476, Charles the Bold camps near Grandson. The Confederates gather at Bevaix, southwest of Neuchâtel. On 2 March, Charles the Bold moves against the Confederates. His army is overrun by the Confederates at Concise. He flees to Grandson. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 060)

Fabulously rich pickings

The Confederates reach Charles the Bold’s camp by the Arnon, a small stream, after the Battle of Grandson and find it has been abandoned fully intact and unplundered by the fleeing Burgundians. Fabulously rich pickings are to be had there. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 061)

The Battle of Murten

Charles the Bold forms a new army. On 10 June 1476, he surrounds the town of Murten with 23,000 men. Adrian von Bubenberg defends it with 2,000 Bernese troops. On 22 June, the Confederates with 25,000 men launch an attack and win a great victory. Charles the Bold flees. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 062)

The Battle of Nancy

René II, the Duke of Lorraine, who is allied with the Confederates, recaptures his capital city of Nancy from the Burgundians. Charles the Bold besieges the town. With the help of the Confederates, René II attacks and defeats Charles the Bold’s army on 5 January 1477. Charles the Bold dies. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 063)

Nicholas of Flüe admonishes the Confederates

The Swiss Confederation’s victories over Charles the Bold make it a great power. The internal political structures, however, lead to disputes. Negotiations between the cantons (Orte) threaten to break down. In 1481, an agreement is reached thanks to the hermit Nicholas of Flüe. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 064)

The Confederates’ victory at the Battle of Bruderholz.

The German Emperor Maximilian I tries to bind the Confederates more closely to the realm. They ally themselves with the French king Charles VIII. It comes to the Swabian War. On 22 March 1499, the Confederates defeat an Imperial army at Bruderholz near Basel. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 065)

The defeat of the Confederates

At the beginning of April 1499, the Imperials muster a large number of troops at Constance. On 11 April, they attack the Confederate garrison at Ermatingen in Thurgau. The Confederates lose 80 men and two cannons. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 066)

The Lucerners recapture their cannons

After the loss of Ermatingen, the Confederates withdraw back to their camp at Schwaderloh. The Lucerne commander describes the surrender of two Lucerne basilisk cannons and calls for them to be recaptured. They prepare an attack. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 067)

Victory at the Battle of Schwaderloh

The beginning of the battle of Dornach

The Swabian War breaks out again in the middle of July 1499. Count Heinrich von Fürstenberg musters an army of 10,000 men in front of Dorneck Castle in Dornach. On 22 July, the Solothurners, Berners and Zurchers attack the Imperialists. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 069)

The Battle of Dornach

The Confederates are outnumbered and in great trouble. The Imperialists appear to be gaining the upper hand, but then towards evening the contingents arrive from Lucerne and Zug and secure victory. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 070)

Pope Julius II surrounded by his Swiss Guards

After the French king Charles VIII employed the Hundred Swiss in 1497, Pope Julius II della Rovere, who came to power in 1503, wanted Swiss Guards too. They moved to Rome in 1506 and accompanied Julius II to Bologna in November 1506 (picture). (According to scientific numbering: Panel 071)

Swiss Guards at the princely courts

Besides the King in Paris and the Pope in Rome, there are other princes who also have Swiss Guards – such as Duke Alfonso II d’Este of Ferrara, Duke Francesco Maria II della Rovere of Urbino, Duke Charles III of Lorraine and Duke Charles Emmanuel I of Savoy. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 072)

The federal phalanx

This painting concludes the depictions of the battles, consolidates many more wars and evokes – through the presentation of the strict order of battel and through the banners of all the estates (Stände) and allied cantons (Orte) – all the battles, victories and defeats of the Confederates. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 074)

The establishment of the Jesuit College of Lucerne

After his visit to Lucerne in 1570, the Archbishop of Milan, Charles Borromeo, vehemently backs the establishment of a Jesuit college in Lucerne. The first two Fathers arrive in 1574 and the college is established in the Ritter Palace in 1577. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 075)

The establishment of the Capuchin monastery in Wesemlin

At Whitsun in 1531, Moritz von Mettenwyl sees an apparition of the Mother of God on the Wesemlin. He has a chapel built at the site of the miracle. Later on Kaspar Pfyffer donates land next to the chapel for building a Capuchin monastery. The brothers occupy the monastery in 1589. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 076)

The Triumph of Death – The Last Judgement

This panel was sponsored by the papal nuncio Ludovico di Sarego, who resided in Lucerne. It depicts the Last Judgement and the Triumph of Death, which rides white-winged through the landscape and drives the people before it: a typical Italian memento mori motif. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 076a)

Heraldic pyramid of the Canton of Lucerne

This heraldic panel is mounted on the outside of the bridge on the St Peter’s Chapel side. The coats of arms are held by two lions with the Imperial Orb and the Imperial Sword. Also depicted is a double-headed Imperial Eagle on a golden coat of arms and the Imperial Crown. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 077a)

The representation of Saint Leger

The Leger cycle starts from this panel. The Kloster im Hof (monastery in the court) became a Propstei (provost’s office) under Murbach Abbey in Alsace before 840. Leger is revered here as the main patron saint of Lucerne alongside Maurice. The representation depicts Leger as a bishop. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 077)

Leger at the Court of King Chlothar

Leger is born around 616 as the son of a Burgundian noblewoman called Sigrade and a nobleman called Bodilo. At the age of ten, he comes as a noble boy to the Court of the Frankish king Chlothar II in Paris to serve as a page and to attend the palace school. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 079)

Leger is assigned by the king to the position of page

The Frankish king Chlothar II, who resides in Paris, receives Leger and assigns him to the position of page. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 080)

Leger is sent to Bishop Dido in Poitiers

Bishop Dido (Desiderius) of Poitiers is the brother of Leger’s father, Bodilo. In 629, he fetches his nephew from the royal court and brings him to the Bishop’s Palace to attend to his education himself. The reason for doing this could have been the death of King Chlothar II in 629. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 081)

Leger receives instruction from Dido

At the Bishop’s Palace of Poitiers, Dido instructs his nephew Leger on the transcription of books. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 082)

Leger is ordained as an archdeacon by Bishop Dido

As soon as his age allows, Leger is ordained the archdeacon of Poitiers by Bishop Dido in 636. As such, he is responsible for administering the secular affairs of the Diocese. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 083)

Leger becomes abbot of the monastery of St Maxentius

In 653, the convent of the Abbey of St Maxentius, in Saint-Maixent south-west of Poitiers, elects the 37-year-old Leger to the position of abbot. The painting depicts not the election of the abbot, but more likely the monks of the monastery before Bishop Dido asking for a new abbot. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 084)

Leger moves into the monastery of St Maxentius

Leger moves into the monastery of St Maxentius. The monastery in the background is the Capuchin monastery on the Wesemlin. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 085)

King Chlothar III summons Leger to court

After King Chlothar II, there are several heirs to the throne. The 6-year-old Chlothar III is ultimately proclaimed king in 657. His mother Bathilde acts as regent. In 658, she makes Ebroin mayor of the palace. One year later, she commands Leger to the court as advisor. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 086)

Leger as advisor at the royal court

At the Court of the then 8-year-old King Chlothar III, Leger serves as advisor to the regent Bathilde alongside Ebroin, mayor of the palace. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 087)

Leger becomes Bishop of Autun

In 663, Leger is elected Bishop of Autun. The bishop’s seat of Autun was politically highly significant, the city was nevertheless a Burgundian stronghold and the citizens did not want to subordinate themselves to the Frankish king in Paris. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 088)

Leger reconciles Ebroin with the king

Around 664, Bishop Sigbrand of Paris incites a rebellion against the over-powerful mayor of the palace, Ebroin. Ebroin has the bishop killed. He also puts pressure on Bathilde so that she passes the regency on to King Chlothar III and seeks refuge in the monastery. Leger reconciles Ebroin with the king. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 089)

Leger proclaims Childerich II king.

After the death of King Chlothar III in 673, disputes about succession to the throne break out. Ebroin, mayor of the palace, appoints Dietrich king. Led by Leger, the Frankish nobles and the Burgundians imprison Dietrich and put Childerich II on the throne. Leger becomes advisor to the king. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 090)

Leger crowns Childerich II king

In 673, Childerich II, who was already king of the Merovingian eastern kingdom (Austrasia), also becomes king of the western kingdom (Neustria). It is Leger, the Bishop of Autun, who as the leader of the noble-Burgundian party crowns Childerich II king against Ebroin’s will. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 091)

Dietrich has to retreat to the monastery

Before crowning Childerich II, the noble-Burgundian party capture and imprison Dietrich, who has been proclaimed king by Ebroin, mayor of the palace, in the Abbey of Saint-Denis. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 092)

Childerich II as a tyrant on the throne

King Childerich II, who has been put on the throne by Leger and the the noble-Burgundian party, rules the whole kingdom as a Merovingian for only for a short time. Because King Childerich II acts like a despot, Leger soon falls out with him. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 093)

Ebroin asks to be admitted as a monk

With the accession of Childerich II and the imprisonment of Dietrich, the mayor of the palace, Ebroin, also loses his office and retreats to Luxeuil Monastery. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 094)

Leger falls out of favor at the royal court

In 675, two years after the coronation of Childerich II, Leger falls out with the king as he is not willing to interpret the ecclesiastical commandments in the ruler’s favour. Intrigue causes him to leave the royal court. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 095)

Leger returns to Autun

Leger leaves the royal court and returns to his bishop’s city of Autun, where is received joyfully at the gates. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 096)

Leger is banished to the monastery of Luxeuil

In Autun, events overtake each other. In 675, King Childerich II arrives in the city to celebrate Easter. Friends warn Leger, he flees from the city. He is captured, brought before the royal court and banished to the monastery of Luxeuil. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 097)

The depraved life of King Childerich

King Childerich II leads a debauched life. He sits at a lavishly laid table. The court society has gathered in the garden in front of the Renaissance palace for music and dance, bathing and games, and a festive banquet. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 098)

Childerich punishes the noble Bodilo

Childerich II’s reign becomes tyrannical, which turns the nobles against him. When one of them, Bodilo, goes to the king to raise his objections to a tax, the latter has him whipped. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 099)

Bodilo murders King Childerich

The noble Bodilo swears to revenge his mistreatment by Childerich II. In 675, he ambushes the king on the hunt in the forest of Livry and kills him, his wife and a prince. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 100)

Dietrich is crowned king in the presence of Leger

Following the death of Childerich II, the Burgundian party takes his younger brother, Dietrich, from the monastery of Saint-Denis and crowns him king in the presence of Leger. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 101)

Ebroin leaves the monastery

When Childerich II is murdered, Ebroin leaves Luxeuil Monastery, recruits an army, imprisons the new king Dietrich in a secret location and spreads a rumor that he has fallen. He declares the boy Chlodwig to be the legitimate son of Chlothar III and proclaims him king. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 102)

At court, Ebroin is awarded the office of the mayor of the palace

Shortly afterwards, Ebroin withdraws his support to Chlodwig and reinstates King Dietrich and his honour. Dietrich confers on him the office of the mayor of the palace, giving him free rein. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 103)

The tyranny of Ebroin

Ebroin exploits his newly gained position of power and intimidates the population through his regime of arbitrariness and terror. His servants march through the land, murdering and plundering as they go. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 104)

A further portrayal of Erboin’s atrocities

Ebroin terrorizes people across the length and breadth of the land. His troops are everywhere, razing homes and villages to the ground, killing and plundering. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 105)

Leger faces Ebroin’s troops

To eliminate his adversary, Leger, Ebroin gathers his troops together outside Autun and besieges the bishop’s city. Leger has had the fortifications reinforced, but now he decides after a short battle to face the besiegers and to take the oath of allegiance to the king. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 106)

Leger is captured

Leger is captured on the outskirts of Autun and brought before Ebroin, while the procession dissolves and the attendants flee with the cross and pennants. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 107)

The blinding of Leger

Immediately after being captured, during the siege of Autun, henchmen gouge out Leger’s eyes with a wood drill. This great wood drill becomes Saint Leger’s greatest attribute. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 108)

Leger’s brother Gerin is stoned

His brother Gerin, Count of Paris, also suffers in the persecution and ostracism of Leger. Ebroin has him tried and stoned to death on 25 August 676. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 109)

Leger is led over sharp stones

The court that condemned Gerin to death in 676 refrained from also pronouncing the same sentence against Leger. By now blind, he is forced by henchmen to walk barefooted in water over sharp stones. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 110)

Leger’s tongue is torn out

Leger is not only led over sharp stones, his lips are also mutilated and his tongue torn out. Blind and dumb, he is imprisoned in the convent of Fécamp. An angel appears and restores his power of speech so he can preach to the nuns. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 111)

Four servants are supposed to kill Leger

The royal court condemns Leger to death. He is handed over to Count Robert to carry out the sentence. At his court in Sarcing, the count orders four of his servants to behead Leger. Three of them ask Leger to forgive their sins and then leave. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 112)

Leger is beheaded

While three servants refuse to carry out the execution, the fourth, dressed in red like an executioner, reaches for the sword and beheads Leger, probably on 2 or 3 October between 678 and 680. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 113)

Leger’s body remains standing

The servant has chopped off Leger’s head and it lies on the ground with a halo around it. Leger remains standing and is knocked over by the executioner with a kick of his foot. A devil plunges from Heaven, grabs the executioner by the head and takes his soul to Hell. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 114)

Miracles at the tomb of Saint Leger

Count Robert buries Leger’s body in Sarcing and erects a church in his honour. The wooded hill, “Sarcinium”, is located between Lucheux and Sus-Saint-Léger, southwest of Arras in Pas-de-Calais. It becomes a place of pilgrimage and the sick are healed at Leger’s tomb. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 115)

Three bishops lay claim to Leger’s body

The pilgrimage to the tomb of Saint Leger becomes increasingly popular. In 682, the body is exhumed and brought to a more significant location. The three bishops from Poitiers, Autun and Arras lay claim to Leger’s body. In the end, the body is awarded to Poitiers. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 116)

The end of the Leger cycle – Ebroin falls in battle

Ebroin is killed by the nobleman Ermenfredus around 679. King Dietrich lived for another ten years after the events. He overturns the sentence pronounced against Leger himself. The painting depicts the death of Ebroin more dramatically and has Leger’s adversary falling in battle. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 117)

The representation of Saint Maurice

The Maurice cycle starts from this panel. The Burgundian Saint Maurice was probably the first patron saint of Kloster im Hof (Monastery in the Court). Seconded by his ensign Exuperius, who is holding the Maurice banner, Maurice presents himself as a legate, as a commander of the Theban Legion. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 118)

Maurice rejects Achilles

A commander named Achilles has rebelled against the Romans in Egypt and garnered much support from the populace. He wants Maurice and his legion on his side, but Maurice refuses and remains loyal to the Emperor. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 119)

Emperor Diocletian defeats Achilles

Emperor Diocletian goes into battle against the rebellious commander Achilles, subdues him and destroys the renegade cities of Alexandria and Busiris. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 120)

The emperor praises Maurice’s loyalty

Because Maurice sided with the Romans in the war between the Roman Emperor Diocletian and the Egyptian agitator Achilles, he is honored by the Emperor and entrusted with the command of the Theban Legion. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 121)

The emperor returns triumphantly to Rome

After his campaign in Egypt, the Emperor Diocletian returns to Rome. He sits in a victor’s pose and crowned with a laurel wreath enthroned on a triumphal chariot drawn by two white horses. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 122)

Maurice and his companions go on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem

Maurice and his Theban Legion are still in Egypt, where he rules as Imperial governor. He decides to embark on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem with all his soldiers. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 123)

The Bishop of Jerusalem baptizes Maurice

In Jerusalem, Maurice and his companions seek the bishop of the city. Since they are still catechumens and, as such, not yet baptized, they have themselves baptized by the bishop and become Christians. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 123a)

Maurice returns to Egypt

After visiting the holy sites in Jerusalem and being baptized by the bishop, Maurice and his companions return to Egypt. Visible in the background of the painting is the city of Jerusalem. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 124)

Secundus is dispatched to the Theban Legion

The Christian Theban Secundus, who has risen to become one of the highest-ranking nobles at the court of the Roman emperor, wants to leave Rome because he is not willing to support the persecution of Christians. The emperor appoints him as subcommander to the position of deputy to Maurice. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 125)

Maurice receives Secundus

Secundus arrives at the Theban Legion’s encampment in Egypt and is received by Maurice. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 126)

A messenger delivers the order to decamp to Rome

The Gauls have risen up against the Romans. The Theban Legion is ordered to Rome to participate in the war in Gaul. In Egypt, an Imperial messenger on horseback delivers the marching orders. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 127)

The Theban Legion arrives in Rome

The Theban Legion in marching formation has arrived east of the city of Rome and stopped. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 128)

Maurice pays homage to the emperors

At the encampment, the two Emperors Diocletian and Maximian sit under a dark baldachin. Maurice appears before them with his legionnaires. With their heads bare, they kneel and pay homage to the emperors. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 129)

Maurice at the feet of Pope Marcellinus

In Rome, Maurice pays his respects to the emperors, but also pays a secret visit to Pope Marcellinus. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 130)

The Theban Legion is ordered to Piemont

Mauritius is ordered to march with his Theban legion from Rome to Piedmont to be placed under the command of the troops of Emperor Maximian. (According to scholarly numbering: plate 131)

Secundus is captured

In Turin, Emperor Maximian demands that the Theban Legion that has just joined him offer sacrifice to the Roman gods. The Thebans, however, refuse to renounce the Christian faith. Secundus is unwilling to change his stance and so Maximian has him arrested. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 132)

Secundus is beheaded

Emperor Maximian gives the order to behead Secundus The martyr’s body is buried in Turin. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 133)

The Theban Legion decamps to Valais

Emperor Maximian breaks camp in Piemont and moves the Roman troops northwards. The Theban Legion crosses the Great St Bernard with the Roman army and reaches Valais. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 134)

Maurice refuses to offer sacrifice

Once in Valais, the Roman army sets up its field camp in Octodurum (Martigny). Emperor Maximian commands that all Imperial troops offer sacrifice to the Roman gods. Maurice refuses and sets up his own camp with his legion in Agaunum (St Maurice). (According to scientific numbering: Panel 135)

Maurice remains steadfast

Maurice’s refusal to obey orders infuriates the emperor. Nevertheless, he tries to persuade the Thebans with kind words. He also offers them gold and silver. Maurice and his Christian legionnaires, however, remain steadfast and reject Maximian’s offers. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 136)

Every tenth legionnaire is executed

Furious, Emperor Maximian orders every tenth member of the legion be executed. The Thebans still remain steadfast and refuse to pay homage. For the second time, every tenth legionnaire is beheaded. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 137)

Maurice is beheaded

Wearing his commander’s armor, Maurice kneels on the Maurice shield and is beheaded. Rising up threateningly behind him is the monument that Maximian erected in Octodurum to honour the Roman gods. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 138)

Urs and Victor are beheaded in Solothurn

The detached Theban commanders Urs and Victor arrive in Solothurn with their legionnaires where they are convicted of being Christians by the city bailiff, Hirtacus, and beheaded by guillotine on the bridge over the Aare. They grab their heads out of the water and carry them to their burial site. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 139)

Convicted of being Christians and beheaded

Felix and Regula, along with their servant Exuperantius, came to St Maurice with the Theban Legion. They travel to Zurich, where they are convicted of being Christians by the city bailiff, Decius, and beheaded. They take their heads and carry them from the Wasserkirche (Water Church) to the Grossmünster (Great Minster). (According to scientific numbering: Panel 140)

Verena cares for the sick and the poor

Verena travels with the Theban Legion to Italy. She crosses over the Alpine passes to Solothurn and settles as a hermit in the Verena-Schlucht (Verena Gorge) in Rüttenen. Later on she goes to Zurzach, where she lives in a hermitage. She feeds the hungry and heals the ill with spring water. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 141)

Gereon is beheaded in Cologne

The Theban commander Gereon arrives with his cohort in Cologne. He and his legionnaires refuse to participate in the persecution of Christians as ordered. The Roman Emperor Maximian has them executed in front of the gates of the city. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 142)

The Abbey of St Maurice as a place of pilgrimage

In 515, the later Burgundian King Sigismund sponsors the founding of a monastery in St Maurice, continuing the cult of pilgrimage and becoming one of the most significant familial shrines in the kingdom. The painting depicts the busy pilgrimage route to the Great St Bernard. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 143)

Under the protection of the Duke of Savoy

The painting connects the cult of relics of St Maurice with the close political relations between Savoy and Lucerne. It links the handing over of the Maurice ring to Peter II in 1250 with the gifting of the Maurice Sword to Charles Emmanuel I in 1591, in the presence of Duke’s Lucerne Life Guards. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 144)

The Theban Legion with Verena and Regula

This is the last panel in the Maurice cycle and depicts the Theban Legion with Verena and Regula. The martyrs stand together under the Maurice banner. The legionnaires are holding palm branches, symbols of victory, instead of weapons. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 145)

The Coronation of Mary

This painting was hung on the Chapel Bridge in 1744 when it was being renovated. It depicts the Coronation of Mary, the Mother of God. (According to scientific numbering: Panel 146)