Archcathedral basilica of St. James the Apostle

The history of the basilica goes back to the year 1187 and the first wooden temple built here. The current archcathedral basilica is the second largest church in Poland, with a landmark 110 m high steeple with a viewing terrace on top.

The origins of the cathedral in Szczecin probably date back to the year 1187 and the consecration by bishop Siegfried. The church was most likely founded by Beringer, a burgher from Bamberg, in order to make evangelisation of Pomerania faster. In the thirteenth century, the building had the form of a Gothic basilica with three naves and without buttresses. The aisles were raised after some time, thereby creating a hall. In 1534, the church passed into the hands of supporters of the Reformation. The church was rebuilt in the Baroque style after a fire in the seventeenth century. The church was declared a minor basilica in 1983.

The most important place inside is a sanctuary with an altar decorated with brass reliefs. There is also a triptych consisting of several altars with reliefs of the fourteenth century, and a beautiful crucifix  dating back to the turn of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The baptismal chapel, where you can admire the triptych of the 1620s, is also worth mentioning. There are also the relics of Otto of Bamberg, the beautiful baptismal font from the seventeenth century, and the altar - a triptych from the fourteenth century.

The church fair takes place on 25th July.