You could walk right by this place and never know you are missing out on an amazing historic…read morelandmark or beautiful church. The outside is nothing special, but once you walk in, you are quieted by the beauty of the intricate interior. The facade of the Jesuit church was donated by Louis XIV, and is definitely nothing special. The church was built in the Baroque style in the period 1680-1689. The inside was done by Ticino artists, and is known to be one of the best Baroque style pieces in all of Switzerland, and is today a national heritage site. We went inside twice during our visit, and on our second visit were blessed with an amazing opportunity to listen to the historic organ that had recently been renovated. It was an AMAZING experience to hear the organ being played. The organ was built between 1791 and 1794 by Franz Joseph Otter, who was from the Canton Solothurn. It is the only extant instrument manufactured by this organ maker. Definitely worth a stop inside to experience this beautiful place.

This cathedral is currently being renovated so I was able to view the inside, but the 203 feet…read moretower was open to climb to the top (entrance at the back). You pay 3.00 CHF per adult ticket once you reach the top of the stairs. The cathedral is made of a pale local marble and is Solothurn's most prominent landmark and can be viewed from afar. At the top of the tower, on a nice day, you have a fantastic 360 degree view of Solothurn, the river, and the alps. It is definitely worth a climb to the top even on a high cloud day just to see over the town and river. I will definitely need to go back to view the inside of the cathedral once the renovations are complete. The town is known for the number 11. There are 11 fountains, and in the cathedral eleven altars, eleven bells and eleven steps to each flight of the approach stairway. I don't remember the reason behind why the superstitious lucky number 11, but it can be found everywhere throughout this lovely Swiss town.