The Basilica of Vera Cruz consists of two clearly differentiated parts: the walls and the sanctuary. Despite its Islamic origins, the monument has undergone many changes. Nowadays, 14 different shaped-and-sized fortified towers are spread along the wall. The fortress belonged first to the Order of the Temple, and later to the Order of Santiago, a Spanish Christian military order. Moreover, the castle was used for military purposes during the Spanish Succession War and the Peninsular War.
The Holy True Cross Sanctuary was built in the heart of the old fortress in the 17th century. Then, in the 18th century, its magnificent baroque façade was annexed to the sanctuary. The church has a Latin-Cross plan, a continuous gallery over the lateral naves, and also a dome over the transept. Recently, the Holy True Cross Museum has been reopened in the sanctuary rooms.
References:Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.
Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.
There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.