Mount Pilatus

Luzern/Obwalden · Schweiz · Natural site

In a mountain lake on Pilatus the corpse of Pontius Pilate is said to rest – and whoever disturbed him called storms down upon Lucerne.

The mountain towering over Lucerne owes its name, medieval legend holds, to Pontius Pilate, whose restless corpse was dumped in a small lake near the summit after no river in Europe would keep it. If the water was disturbed, his spirit rose and summoned devastating storms over the region – which is why the city of Lucerne long banned any ascent under severe penalty, jailing six clergymen in 1387 for defying the ban. Once a year, on Good Friday, Pilate was said to rise from the lake in a red judge's robe and wash his hands. Only in 1585 did a priest-led expedition dare to defy the spirit, hurling stones into the lake and declaring the mountain freed.

FAQ

Hvor ligger Mount Pilatus?

Mount Pilatus ligger i Luzern/Obwalden, Schweiz.