Description of the attraction
St. John's Church is a Gothic church located in Gdansk. One of the most important monuments in the city.
The first mention of the small wooden chapel of St. Nicholas dates back to 1358. In 1360, construction began on a new three-aisled church on the site of the previous one. The work was completed at the beginning of the 15th century, but the builders left room for the tower, which was planned to be built in the future. In 1415, a new altar was created. In 1456, Bishop John MacArthur divided the city into six parishes, and St. John's Church became a parish. In 1465, the church of St. John received the star vaults. In 1543 the bell tower was destroyed by fire.
In the 15th and 16th centuries, patrons funded the construction of a total of 13 altars in the church. In 1612, the most beautiful stone altar by Abraham van der Block was built, which has survived to this day.
During the Second World War, the church burned down. In the post-war years, St. John's Church was not included in the list of buildings in need of planned reconstruction. Most of the surviving things were transferred to the Church of St. Mary in Gdansk. Reconstruction of the facades of the church began in the late 1960s; the inside of the church remained in ruins.
In 1991, the church was transferred to the Catholic diocese, after which Sunday and festive services began to be held here. In 1996, a thorough reconstruction of the church began: repair and strengthening of the outer walls, internal work, as well as archaeological excavations. In December 2012, the Baroque epitaphs of Lawrence Fabricius, Johann Hutzing and Ultrich Kantzler returned to their places from St. Mary's Church.
