The Ruins Of The St Gertrude Chapel

In the Soviet cemetery located between Odrzańska and i Szczecińska Streets, we can find the only trace of the late-Gothic church-hospital complex. Had it not been for the intervention of the Provincial Historic Preservation Officer in 1953, the chapel, erected in the 15th century, would have most likely not survived up to this day.

The Soviet military cemetery was established in the years 1950-1955. Ashes of almost 4,000 soldiers fallen in 1945 were put in the cemetery. Within the area of the cemetery, the St Gertrude chapel has been preserved (in 1684, it was dedicated to St John). The hospital chapel survived the Second World War, but after 1945, when the decision about establishing a military cemetery was made, it was decided that the building was to be pulled down. The action was stopped in 1953 by the Provincial Historic Preservation Officer. On November 7th, 1953, the chapel was entered into the register of historic monuments as “ruina trwała” [permanent ruin] – a historic object in disrepair that is not to be rebuilt.

The chapel was founded in 1409; in all likelihood, next to it, there was a manor and the house of the knights of St John (whose remains probably existed as late as in the 17th century). In the mid-16th century, the St Gertrude chapel was used as a barn and a stable, and in the years 1561-1562, the St Gertrude hospital was combined with the Holy Spirit hospital and moved to the former Augustinian monastery. In 1683, the building was renovated and consecrated as the St John chapel.

In the second half of the 19th century, it was decided to rebuild the western gable by adding a neo-Gothic steeple and pinnacles.

The chapel was built on a rectangular plan with a three-side termination of a choir. Once, there was a cross-ribbed vault in the building, but after the demolition works, what has been preserved is just the western gable with a steeple and enclosure walls. The tallest parts of the building are the western and southern walls of the chapel. Inside the building, we can find preserved in small numbers Gothic polychromies depicting plant motifs, and the fragments of floor made of multilateral ceramic tiles. Until the early 20th century, there was a cemetery next to the chapel.

The hospital-church complex, which included the chapel, was located outside the town walls and was intended for pilgrims and voyagers. Nowadays, the ruins are located at the confluence of Młyńska, Szczecińska, and Odrzańska Streets.