History

The church, mentioned as early as the 9th century, was initially a collegiate church and became a cathedral in 1888. The original Romanesque structure (with a semicircular apse to the east), remnants of which include some pillars and wall structures incorporated into the current building, as well as the lower part of the bell tower up to the clock, was later transformed during the Gothic period. The current appearance is the result of a significant restoration and renovation carried out in the early 20th century by architect Augusto Guidini. During this period, the decorative painting in an eclectic style was completed by Ernesto Rusca of Rancate (1908–1910).

The church is renowned for its splendid Renaissance facade, begun in 1517 and completed towards the end of the 16th century.

The interior features three naves with a polygonal choir, and the vaults are marked by ribs. The frescoes on the west wall date to the 13th century, while those on the nave pillars are from the 14th–15th centuries.

Among the richly decorated chapels with marble and bronze, the second one on the south side has a sumptuous altar with a painting by G. B. Carlone, and on the walls are Rococo statues representing the Virtues.

The baptismal font in the chapel opposite the choir dates to the 16th century, as does the tabernacle. In the presbytery, illusionistic frescoes by the Torricelli brothers can be admired. At the end of the right nave, the baptismal font from 1430 and the gilded wooden organ front from the 16th century are noteworthy.

Lugano no longer has a castle (castello); it disappeared in 1515. After the Swiss defeated the French in their bid to annex territories south of the Alps, they destroyed what remained of foreign rule, including the castle built by Ludovico Sforza. All that remains is a square, now home to the Palazzo dei Congressi.

From the square, which evokes reflections on the city's past and history, one can admire the fine buildings along Via Lucchini, Viale Cattaneo, Piazza Indipendenza, and Corso Pestalozzi. At the corner with Corso Elvezia stands the renowned Casa Chiattone. Behind the Palazzo dei Congressi are the Ciani Park and its villa.

The square was reimagined between 2004 and 2006, based on a design by architects Giraudi & Wettstein and landscape architect Paolo Bürgi. It now serves as an open architectural element: an entry point for international visitors to the Palazzo dei Congressi and a passageway for thousands of people heading to the city center or using the underground parking lot.

Piazza Castello is also a vital link between Ciani Park, the Palazzo dei Congressi, and the city center.

The monument, created to mark the centenary of the clash between Cisalpine forces and Lugano Volunteers on the morning of 15 February 1798, also celebrates the end of Ticino's subjugation and the beginning of its equal standing with other Swiss cantons.

The work consists of a stone base, with two commemorative inscriptions and two bronze bas-reliefs on the four sides of the base. The obelisk, dating back to the 18th century and created by an unknown artist, adds vertical emphasis to the base, which is the prominent part of the monument.

The base and inscriptions were designed by Otto Maraini; the two bronzes are by Ampelio Regazzoni L'albero della libertà (1898) and Luigi Vassalli I moti del febbraio 1798 (1898).

At the main entrance to Ciani Park, along the lakeside, stands the Guglielmo Tell statue by Vincenzo Vela, sculpted by the artist from Ligornetto in 1856.

The statue was restored by the Rotary Club of Lugano to honor the 200th anniversary of Ticino's entry into the Swiss Confederation and was symbolically returned to the municipality and citizens on 21 July 2003. The restoration was carried out by Claudio Cometta, with the collaboration of Gianna Mina Zeni, then curator and now director of the Vincenzo Vela Museum in Ligornetto.

The statue, carved from a sandstone block sourced from the Brenno d’Arcisate quarries, showed signs of damage primarily caused by adverse weather conditions. A second phase of the restoration focused on reconstructing missing parts, particularly the two arrows Tell holds in his right hand raised upward and half of the crossbow held by the hero at his side with his left hand.

Initially, the sculpture was placed in front of the Hôtel du Parc, near the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli, at the request of the Ciani brothers, who commissioned the work. In 1914, it was moved to Riva Albertolli, and in 1942, the lakeside area near the park entrance was dedicated to the Swiss hero.

At the beginning of Via Nassa, aligned with the houses on the edge of the street, is the small Baroque church dedicated to St. Charles Borromeo. Built by the confraternity of the same name between 1640 and 1642, the church was renovated and its right section removed in 1950. The facade, completed in 1829 by Domenico Fontana, preserves the Baroque portal. The most recent restoration of the building was carried out in 2005 under the direction of architect Tita Carloni.

Construction of the Church of Sant’Antonio Abate began in 1633 and was completed in 1651, though the interior was only finalized between the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

Originally, the church was connected to the Collegio dei Padri Somaschi, which later became the cantonal high school in 1852. At that time, the church was used as a classroom, a meeting hall, and, temporarily, as an arsenal.

In 1908, the high school buildings were demolished, and Via Magatti was opened along the eastern side of the church. The sacristy was also demolished and later rebuilt adjacent to the choir, whose vault features the Glorification of Saint Anthony by G. Antonio Petrini (1730). Three altarpieces by the same artist are also present in the side chapels. The church's extensive stucco decoration, completed in 1652, was the work of Luca Corbellini and G.B. Bellotto, both from Lugano, and was finished by Girolamo Rossi in 1683.

In 1923, a plaque was placed on the neo-Byzantine facade of the sacristy to commemorate Alessandro Manzoni, who was a student at the Collegio dei Padri Somaschi for two years, from 1796 to 1798.

The church was consecrated in 1596 and built on the site of a preexisting religious building from 1349 dedicated to Saint Blaise. During a plague between 1512 and 1527, the people of Lugano requested the construction of a chapel dedicated to Saint Roch (San Rocco), the patron saint of Montpellier, who was invoked against the harmful effects of the plague. The aim was to build a church that could serve as a lazaretto for the infected during the devastating plague epidemics.

The request, initially ignored, was renewed in 1528 when another plague struck the town. On 3 November of that year, many residents of Lugano gathered in Piazza Grande (today’s Piazza della Riforma), where Battista Somazzi publicly recalled the assembly’s desire to build the chapel so dear to the hearts of Lugano’s citizens.

On 31 December, the General Council of the borough approved the construction, allocating 300 lire terzuole for two consecutive years to fund its realization. However, in 1529, the contractors abandoned the work out of fear of contracting the disease, which had since spread further. As a result, the building was only completed at the end of the century after several interruptions.

The life of Saint Roch is depicted in the cycle of frescoes inside the church.