Nine Centuries of History: Medieval Sankt Nicolai Church Ruin in Visby

Sankt Nicolai kyrkoruin in Visby was built around 1215-1220. Originally, it was a church for the Germans in Visby's northern parish, but it was destroyed by a fire. The Dominikanerbröder took over the damaged church and turned it into a convent church around 1240. The western facade was completed in 1251. Petrus de Dacia, prior of the convent during the mid-1200s, has a memorial plaque still visible on the north side of the church.

The church took its current Gothic form around 1400. Many of the different construction phases can be seen in the church’s facade, where Romanesque window openings still exist. The convent and church were burnt by the city’s defenders during the Lübeckers' attack on Visby in 1525. Today, the ruin hosts regular theatrical performances and concerts, with Petrus de Dacia, also known as Ruinspelet, being particularly popular.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons