Parish House

The parish house was formerly financed by a benefice. A benefice was the money or property that provided a priest with a livelihood. This included, for example, land, houses, or other sources of income. These revenues enabled the priest to live and work.

The word “Pfründe” derives from the Latin word *praebenda*. This roughly means “maintenance,” “provision,” or “that which is provided for life.”

The building on the church hill looks back on about 500 years of history. In the 15th century, it was a single-story “Tätschhaus” (a traditional Alpine farmhouse). In 1555, it was expanded into a two-story parsonage. At the beginning of the 19th century, the house was expanded once again.

It had always served as a residence for the pastor or chaplain; until 1867, it also housed the sexton, and from 1806 onward, it even served as the first actual schoolhouse. Melchior Schnyder taught over 80 children there in a single room. The school was even designated a model school.
With the opening of the Kirchbühl schoolhouse around 1900, it lost this function.

In 1903, the municipality of Kriens sold the “Sigristpfrundhaus” to the Catholic parish. In 1998, the parish extensively renovated the building. Today, it houses offices and two apartments.