St Nicholas Church

St Nicholas Church - the oldest church in Gdańsk, which was founded in the late twelfth century, probably in 1185. It was founded at the crossroads of the ancient merchant path, called via mercatorum, and the route that led from Gdańsk's royal castle estate in Pomorze. Then in 1227, Pomeranian prince Świętopełk gave it to the Dominican Order, who founded a monastery. Since 1260, when Pope Alexander IV gave the Gdańsk Dominicans the privilege of plenary indulgence, on August 4^th, pilgrims wishing to participate in the famous Dominican Fair have been attracted to the city. In 1348 the existing church and monastery were built. In the middle of the fifteenth century the church was covered with a starry vault, and the tower was raised on an octagonal section. During the Reformation the church was repeatedly destroyed and plundered, the monks were expelled, the monastery was given to the Protestants, and the monastery treasury was taken to the Town Hall. After the intervention of King Zygmunt Augustus in 1567, the monastery was returned to the Dominicans. In 1813, Russian shelling of the city resulted in the monastery burning down completely. Twenty-one years later, in 1834, there was a dissolution of the Order, and the Dominicans were forced to leave the city, at which time a Catholic parish was established. In 1929 the church received the title of Minor Basilica. As it is the only church in the city centre that was not destroyed during the war, the interior is rich in preserved early Baroque furnishings.