St. Nicholas Cathedral

Elbląg, Poland

St. Nicholas Cathedral is a Gothic church established in circa 1247. When the burghers of Elbing (Elbląg) first attempted to adopt the Protestant Reformation in 1525, the provost of St. Nicholas Church maintained Catholic practice. Since 1539 the city council tacitly tolerated and gradually openly promoted Lutheranism, so that St. Nicholas Church had become a Lutheran church by 1573.

Following King Sigismund III's Prussian regency contract (1605) with Joachim Frederick of Brandenburg and his Prussian enfeoffment contract (Treaty of Warsaw, 1611) with John Sigismund of Brandenburg these two rulers of Ducal Prussia guaranteed free practice of Catholic religion in prevailingly Lutheran Prussia. Based on these contracts Prince-Bishop Szymon Rudnicki of Ermland/Warmia achieved the restitution of St. Nicholas as Roman Catholic parish church in 1612, then the only one in Elbing, and remaining a Catholic church since.

St. Nicholas was damaged by fire in the late 18th century, then destroyed in World War II and reconstructed. In 1992, the building was elevated to the status of cathedral.

References:

Comments

Your name

Website (optional)


Address

Mostowa 32, Elbląg, Poland
See all sites in Elbląg

Details

Founded: 1247
Category: Religious sites in Poland

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Market Gate (0,3 km)


Malbork Castle (27,3 km)
Kwidzyn Castle (56,3 km)
Frombork Cathedral (28,9 km)
Sztum Castle (35,7 km)
Stutthof Concentration Camp (24,4 km)
Church of St. John the Baptist (27,5 km)
Prabuty Cathedral (46,4 km)
Pillau Fortress (62,5 km)
Przezmark Castle Ruins (34 km)

User Reviews

Aleksander Sandomierski (36 days ago)
Ten sakralny budynek od razu przykuwa uwagę. Szczególnie ze wzgledu na wieżę widokową z której widać całe miasto. Wejscie na wieżę zajmuje tylko chwilę a widoki niezapomniane. Z gory widac jaki potencjał drzemie w mieście.
Marta D (2 months ago)
Katedrę oceniam od strony wizualnej, pomijając kwestie religijne. Piękny obszerny kościół z darmową wieżą widokową na miasto. Niedawno odświeżone cegiełki i piękne rzeźby. Polecam obiekt, szczególnie w celach turystycznych. :)
Gunnar Sodisker (2 years ago)
Great church
Piotr L (3 years ago)
Main attraction of Elblag.
Julien GUERINEAU (3 years ago)
Very beautiful by sunny day. Colors from windows are amazing.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Top historic sights of Istria
Photo from Flickr, copyright Guido Rudolph

Historic Site of the week

Lübeck Cathedral

Lübeck Cathedral is a large brick-built Lutheran cathedral in Lübeck, Germany and part of the Lübeck UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 1173 Henry the Lion founded the cathedral to serve the Diocese of Lübeck, after the transfer in 1160 of the bishop's seat from Oldenburg in Holstein under bishop Gerold. The then Romanesque cathedral was completed around 1230, but between 1266 and 1335 it was converted into a Gothic-style building with side-aisles raised to the same height as the main aisle.

On the night of Palm Sunday (28–29 March) 1942 a Royal Air Force bombing raid destroyed a fifth of the town centre. Several bombs fell in the area around the church, causing the eastern vault of the quire to collapse and destroying the altar which dated from 1696. A fire from the neighbouring cathedral museum spread to the truss of the cathedral, and around noon on Palm Sunday the towers collapsed. An Arp Schnitger organ was lost in the flames. Nevertheless, a relatively large portion of the internal fittings was saved, including the cross and almost all of the medieval polyptychs. In 1946 a further collapse, of the gable of the north transept, destroyed the vestibule almost completely.

Reconstruction of the cathedral took several decades, as greater priority was given to the rebuilding of the Marienkirche. Work was completed only in 1982.

The cathedral is unique in that at 105 m, it is shorter than the tallest church in the city. This is the consequence of a power struggle between the church and the guilds.

The 17 m crucifix is the work of the Lübeck artist Bernt Notke. It was commissioned by the bishop of Lübeck, Albert II. Krummendiek, and erected in 1477. The carvings which decorate the rood screen are also by Notke.

Since the war, the famous altar of Hans Memling has been in the medieval collection of the St. Annen Museum, but notable polyptychs remain in the cathedral.

In the funeral chapels of the southern aisle are Baroque-era memorials by the Flemish sculptor Thomas Quellinus.

Map Top Sights Tags Historical Periods City Guides About Us Sign Up Upload new site
© 2019 SpottingHistory.com. All rights reserved.