Details
Founded: 13th centuryCategory: Religious sites in Germany
Historical period: Hohenstaufen Dynasty (Germany)
Interesting Sites Nearby
User Reviews
St. John’s Church in Schaprode from the early 13th century is one of the oldest buildings in the area. The Romanesque choir with the apse and parts of the Eastern wall of the (formerly) three-aisle nave have been preserved in their original state. The four-bay, rib-vaulted nave was constructed after 1450. The oldest features include tomb slabs from 1369 and 1403. The late Gothic triumphal cross ensemble on the roof beam (around 1500) is particularly spectacular. The sculptor Hans Broder and the painter Franz Rose created the pulpit, the confessional and probably also the baptismal font in 1723. The Baroque three-storey altarpiece with scenes from the life of Christ was added in 1730. The distinctive church tower can be seen for miles and has been used by seafarers as a landmark for centuries.
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.