The oldest church in the city, its tower and its fires
St Catherine's Church, Gdańsk
A short guide to St Catherine's Church in Gdańsk, where the Chopin concerts are held: its age, Hevelius's tomb, the tower and the fires.
Reserve a seat for Chopin ↗The oldest church in the city
English Wikipedia calls St Catherine's the oldest church in Gdańsk and says building began in the 1220s, although it was altered and extended many times before reaching its full size. Polish Wikipedia calls it the oldest parish church in the Old Town and says it was extended after 1379. The patron is Catherine of Alexandria. The concert ticket calls it a Gothic church of the 13th century.
From Protestant church back to Catholic
English Wikipedia says the church was Protestant from 1545 until the end of World War II in 1945, after which it returned to the Catholic Church. Polish Wikipedia dates the Protestant period from 1555. The ticket names it the Rectoral Church of the Carmelite Fathers of St Catherine. Both dates fall in the 16th century, so the Protestant period lasted about four centuries.
The design
English Wikipedia describes a Gothic design with chapels, a high gable roof, a square floor plan and vaults, and says the building reached its full size through many renovations and additions. Polish Wikipedia adds paintings by Anton Möller and Izaak van den Blocke, Baroque epitaphs and a painting of the Mother of God of Bołszowce that was moved to the church after the Second World War. The star-shaped vaults you see in the photographs are part of that Gothic inheritance.
Hevelius
Johannes Hevelius was chairman of the council of the Old Town and, from 1639, an astronomer, who built an observatory on the roofs of his houses in 1641. He died on his 76th birthday in 1687 and was buried in St Catherine's. Polish Wikipedia mentions his tombstone, dated 1659, inside the church. A tourist guide adds that the church was where he was once church administrator. He was also a brewer, and the Jopen beer he brewed gave its name to a Gdańsk street.
The tower, the carillon and the clocks
The tower is 76 metres tall and topped with Baroque spires; Polish Wikipedia credits the helmet of 1634 to Jacob van den Blocke. It houses a carillon, and English Wikipedia adds that it also holds the Museum of Turret Clocks and, since 2011, a pulsar clock. Polish Wikipedia calls it the only pulsar clock in the world. A carillon is a set of bells played from a keyboard.
Fires and rebuilding
Polish Wikipedia records that lightning burned the tower in 1905, that a fire in 1945 destroyed the high altar and roofs, and that a storm in 1953 brought down a gable. Rebuilding then took decades, with the nave finished in 1967 and the tower helmet reconstructed between 1974 and 1979. In 2006 a major fire brought down the roof, and the roof was rebuilt afterwards. Some visitors still mention restoration work.
Visiting the church and the concert
The church is a working Catholic church, and a tourist guide gives its address as Profesorska 3. The concert ticket gives a meeting point at Wielkie Młyny 7, a street of the neighbouring Great Mill. Visiting hours for the church and the tower change, so check them separately from the concert. Come to the concert a little early, because the tower, the vaults and the tombstone reward a short look.
Frequently asked questions
Is St Catherine's the oldest church in Gdańsk?
English Wikipedia calls it the oldest church in Gdańsk. Polish Wikipedia calls it the oldest parish church in the Old Town.
Who is buried there?
The astronomer Johannes Hevelius, who died in 1687, was buried in the church.
Did the 2006 fire destroy the church?
It brought down the roof, which was rebuilt. Polish Wikipedia says the interior was spared.
Sources