Notre-Dame Cathedral, from Jesuit church to Luxembourg's cathedral

Luxembourg has just one cathedral, and it stands right in the capital’s old town, between Place de la Constitution and the shopping streets. It’s free, it opens every day and its crypt holds a good slice of the country’s history. I think it deserves more attention than it usually gets. Here’s how I see it.

A Jesuit church that became a cathedral

It wasn’t built as a cathedral. The Jesuits laid the foundation stone in 1613, and visitluxembourg dates the work to 1613-1621, as the church of their college, the building that now houses the National Library. UNESCO adds another twist, noting that the old Church of St Nicolas saw its role pass to the Jesuits’ sanctuary, today’s cathedral.

In the late 18th century, 1794 according to visitluxembourg, the statue of the Comforter of the Afflicted arrived, patron saint of the country and the city. About fifty years later the church took the title of Notre-Dame, and in 1870 Pope Pius IX raised it to cathedral. It was extended on its south side between 1935 and 1938.

What to see inside

The city tourist office calls it a remarkable example of late Gothic with Renaissance elements and ornament, and visitluxembourg fills in the list. The north portal, half Renaissance and half Baroque. A richly carved alabaster gallery, columns decorated with arabesques and stained glass from the 19th and 20th centuries. Neo-Gothic confessionals, modern bas-reliefs and bronze doors by the sculptor Auguste Trémont.

For me, the crypt is what makes the visit. It holds John the Blind, King of Bohemia and Count of Luxembourg, and the late members of the grand ducal family. Two lions by Trémont guard the entrance to the vault. The official websites don’t publish separate hours for the crypt, so you may find it shut. If the crypt matters to you, the cathedral’s own phone line, +352 46 20 23, is the place to ask before you set off.

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Our Lady, Notre-Dame, Santa María

All the same building. Notre-Dame means Our Lady, and Spanish speakers often call it the Cathedral of Santa María. I use its official name, Notre-Dame Cathedral, because it matches the signage and the city’s own websites.

Opening hours and visiting

Entry is free, with no published charge. As of September 2026 it opens at 08:00 and closes at 18:00 from Monday through Saturday, on which the city tourist office and visitluxembourg agree. On Sunday, the city office gives 09:00 to 19:00 while visitluxembourg brings the opening forward to 08:00. If you’re going early on a Sunday, I’d count on 9:00 and avoid walking in during Mass, which is, after all, what the building is for.

The cathedral plays its part in national life. Luxembourg National Day includes a Te Deum here every 23 June, and on 20 October 2012 it was the setting for the wedding of the present Grand Duke and Grand Duchess, Guillaume and Stéphanie.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Luxembourg before prices climb.

The Octave, when it fills up

If you want to see the cathedral at its busiest, the Octave of Our Lady is the time. It’s the great pilgrimage to the Comforter of the Afflicted, with a small market, the Mäertchen, on Place Guillaume II. In 2027 it runs from Saturday 17 April to Sunday 2 May, according to the city tourist office. I’d pick a weekday within that fortnight to see it with atmosphere but fewer people, though that’s my judgement, not an official figure.

What’s around it

The cathedral sits towards the south of the Luxembourg old town. A few steps away is the Gëlle Fra memorial, with the view over the Pétrusse valley, and from the Adolphe Bridge you see its spires rising above the walls, the best picture of the building. Place Guillaume II and the Grand Ducal Palace are a few streets away, so the cathedral fits into any walk around the old town.

My way of fitting it in is simple. Go early, since it opens at 08:00 on weekdays, step out onto Place de la Constitution and, if it’s an autumn weekend, carry on to the guided tour of the Pétrusse Casemates, which starts on that same square. That gives you the cathedral, the Gëlle Fra and the fortress from the inside in a single morning, without any transport.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Notre-Dame Cathedral and choose by the reviews.

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