Description of the attraction
The one-nave church of St. Elzbiet, built in the Gothic style of red brick, was considered the second most important church in Gdansk, owned by the Calvinists. This sacred building is decorated with a tower and has one side chapel.
The Church of St. Elzbieta appeared as a temple at the shelter for the poor and sick in the years 1393-1394. The orphanage, which was later called St. Elzbiet's Hospital, was built with funds from the Knights of the Teutonic Order. They also sponsored the construction of the chapel of the same name, which was converted into a church in 1417. Since that time, the appearance of the temple has not changed, except that the tower and its dome were periodically rebuilt.
In 1547, on the other side of the street, the construction of fortifications began, which were supposed to protect the city from the western side. Until our time, only the bastion of St. Elzbiet has survived, in which a restaurant operates, and the fortress wall was dismantled back in the century before last. During the erection of the protective walls, some buildings of the hospital were removed and the main entrance to the church was walled up.
In 1557 the church of St. Elzbieta became the property of the evangelical reformers. Mercenaries from Scotland and the Netherlands gathered there, and several centuries later, services for Prussian soldiers were held here. Immediately after the end of the First World War, the Church of St. Elжbiet was a garrison church.
It was burned down in 1945, but after two years it was completely restored. Soon the hospital of St. Elzbiet, which now serves as the home of the priest, was also renovated.
The interior of the church is modestly decorated. Its walls are painted by Zophia Baudouin de Cortenay. The bright stained-glass windows in the windows of the temple also belong to the authorship of the same artist.
