It’s easy to see the medieval Visby church ruins have such a strong presence in the old city. Aside from the Gotland Museum and a handful of other things to do, they’re one of the main attractions – particularly for medieval loves as me. While seeing the medieval churches of Visby was something on my list, I didn’t think much about it because most are in a ruined state.

A lot of maps in Gotland are in Swedish only, so I’ve put the Swedish names in parenthesis. Some other helpful words include Sankt or Sankta for “saint,” Kyrk or Kyrka for “church,” Domkyrka for “cathedral,” and “Kyrkoruin” for “church ruin.”

You can find this handy map outside of St James’ Church Ruins.

Note that a most of these churches are in disrepair so even though you can go inside and explore many of them, it is at your own risk. Especially be careful when going up and down steps.

Saint Mary’s Cathedral (Maria)

Saint Mary’s Cathedral is Visby’s medieval church that’s still in use as a place of worship and is not actually a ruin. The walls of Visby are impressive but it’s also the cathedral that dominates the skyline, so it’s hard to miss this place.

It was built as a church in 1225. Most of the churches in Visby were abandoned during the Reformation of the 1530s-40s but St Mary’s stayed and was consecrated as a cathedral in 1572. I cannot find the reason for St Mary’s having survived, so if you do know, leave a comment below! It has been updated over the centuries but if you visit inside, you can see an area with some artefacts dating back several centuries that tell the history of Visby’s medieval churches. It’s free to do and cool to see.

Church of the Holy Spirit Church Ruins (Helig Ande)

The Church of the Holy Spirit dates back to the mid 13th century and has an octagonal shape unique to Visby. It was probably a hospital church with the tower having multiple levels. It was destroyed during the Lyubian Storming of Visby in 1525.

This church is referenced on the map at Sankt Jakob’s (which is actually St James in English) but there is debate as to whether or not the Holy Spirit and St James’ Churches are the same or separate. As it is, the ruins you see today are of the Holy Spirit Church and there are no found remains of St James’ church, though researchers think it may be just sout of St Nicholas’ Church.

Unfortunately I couldn’t go inside the Church of the Holy Spirit, but it does look like it is in use for private events. It still has a roof and the architectural details inside look beautiful, so it’s a shame I didn’t see them. There is a 17th century complex around the church that is still used for secular activities today.

Saint Nicholas’ Church Ruins (Nicolai)

St Nicholas’ Church ruin is the largest in Visby. Construction began in the early 13th century, probably as a church for Germans or Gotlanders or both, and then caught fire as it was being built. Dominican friars took control of the church construction in 1228 and continued building it as a monastery church.

The ruins are very impressive but unfortunately it was not possible to go inside. Many people do access the interior for events but it was closed off to tourists when I visited. It still has a roof so it’s a bit darker inside and more difficult to see the interior details.

Saint George’s Church Ruins (Goran)

This is the only medieval church of Visby that’s outside the city walls, though only by just a little bit. It was built in the early to mid 13th century for lepers, which is why it’s outside the city walls. There was also a hospital nearby that is no longer extant. Both were abandoned in 1542.

What’s interesting is that even though St. George’s was for lepers – the outcasts – it’s one of the only Visby church ruins to maintain some of its architectural decoration. The ruins still have the walls and the arches and the windows, but St George’s also has remnants of what were probably once statues or pedestals. And it’s remarkably big! It must have still been a splendor even though it was used by people who had to live on alms. It was actually one of my favorite ruins to see.

Unfortunately I couldn’t go inside since all the gates were closed.

Saint Clement’s Church Ruin (Clemens)

St Clement’s Church ruin dates to the mid 13th century, though it was probably built on a church from 1060. It too was abandoned in the 1530s but you can see it must have been a grand church. The walls still mark part of Visby’s skyline and you can still see and appreciate the arches, and architectural details, and the pure size of the church. It’s also the home to thousands of bees (which I did not see but only read about, if you’re worried about coming across said bees!).

You can actually stay right next to this ruin in a cute little hotel. Learn more & book here. St Clement’s has two entrances – one through the hotel and one across from the botanical garden.

Saint Olaf’s Church Ruins (Olof)

St Olof’s Church ruins are tucked away in Visby’s tranquil botanical gardens. It was built around 1240 and named after the saint credited with converting Gotland to Christianity. It didn’t survive the Reformation and was quickly partially dissembled to provide stone for other projects.

Today only a small part of it remains. It’s quite small and I would have thought it a chapel. It’s unknown what the church looked like when it was in use. Today it’s covered in ivy, and it can also be a bit overlooked. But it also looks like a place out of a fairytale. You can’t go inside now because it’s too degraded but you can have a peek inside through the gates.

Drotten Church Ruins

Meaning “The Ruler’s Church” (as in God), Drotten Church was built around 1240 for German parishoners. Once it was beautifully adorned with frescoes and bright colors, a recreation of which you can see at the Gotlands Museum. It was so amazing to see the recreation of the church because looking at the ruins today, though it still retains a lot of its beauty, it looks incredibly different. It was abandoned in 1528 during the Reformation. It’s another of the Visby church ruins you can go inside and look around.

There is a small staircase you can go up but the stairway is quite cramped and the stairs are tiny! I’m a US size 5 (about UK 3 or EU 36) and I couldn’t get my whole foot on the stairs. When you get to the top, there’s a small window with a view to the back of a building, so definitely be more cautious going up these steps if you choose. I didn’t think it was worth the trouble.

Saint Lawrence’s Church Ruins (Lars)

Of all of the Visby church ruins I saw, Saint Lawrence was my favorite. The church was completed around 1210-1220 and it has a cross shape unique to Visby, perhaps a copy of Constantinople, Greek or Russian Orthodox architecture. It was abandoned in the 1530s due to the Reformation.

I loved two things about this church: 1) it’s smaller and cozier than the other church ruins, and 2) you can actually go up the stairs and explore the upper levels of the church! (At your own risk, of course.) It’s in remarkable shape for a ruin of 500 years and you can really imagine what it may have looked like when it was in use.

There are three staircases you can go up at Saint Lawrence. There’s a singular staircase that goes up and around the upper levels and passages of the church, where you can see down the windows below. That wraps around and will bring you down a separate set of stairs. This set of stairs is right next to another staircase, but if you go up that, it leads to a dead end. I have some photos above for your reference.

The stairs are in decent shape and are moderately big for medieval steps, but of course exercise caution when going up and down.

Saint Catherine’s Church Ruins (Karin or Katarina)

Saint Catherine’s Church was started in the mid 13th century but construction resumed for about 200 years, and it was reconsecrated in 1412. In its heyday, it apparently had magnificent stained glass. The church survived into the 1540s but then a vault collapsed during a church service, which seems to be when Saint Catherine’s Church’s run ended.

Though the church is still a ruin today, much of the walls and arches are still extant so you can imagine how grand and beautiful the church once was. I have a bad quality photo above for you to see just how big it is against Visby’s city square. Today, it’s still beautiful (in a different way) and you can see a lot of the architectural details. When I visited, I was allowed to go inside and explore the empty space, but it’s also reserved sometimes for public events. It’s one of the few Visby church ruins that’s being used for more modern purposes.

Saints Peter’s and John’s Church Ruins (Per och Hans)

The Church of Saint Peter is considered the oldest of the Visby church ruins, built on top of Gotland’s first church. It was built sometime in the late 12th century to the early 13th century. Saint John’s Church was built next door in the 13th century to accommodate an increasing population and it shared a wall with St Peter’s, though they were two separate churches. Initially, St Peter’s catered to the German population and St John’s was for the native Gotlanders, but as the two groups intermarried, the churches were divided by status instead. St Peter’s was for the poorer and St John’s for the richer.

Because it was too much money to keep the churches in order, both churches were demolished in the 17th century, though there are clearly parts that still remain. The churches are in a much more ruined state than the other Visby church ruins but there are a few partial pillars here and there and of course a magnificent wall. The churches must have been amazing when they were complete – they were once the biggest church in the Nordic countries! It’s hard to tell now that there were even two churches here at one point, but it makes a lovely backdrop against what’s now virtually open lawn.

Saint Gertrude’s Church Ruins (Gertrud)

This church building (often described as a chapel) was built in about 1469, even though parts of the building probably date back a few more hundred years. It was probably used by the nuns who lived at St. James’. It was destroyed on May 12, 1525 during the Lubecker storming of Visby.

The portal and walls and the only parts still extent of the chapel and they show an image of St Gertrude with the probably patrons of the chapel, Ivar Axelsson Totts and his wife Magdalena Karlsdotter. Magdalena was a Swedish-Norwegian princess who resided in Visby. It’s one of two Visby church ruins that doesn’t even have a board or anything to mark them but they’re still worth stopping by because of the portal image. It looks so primitive, and it’s nice to see medieval art in its original context.

I’m 5’1″ and the image was at about eye level for me, though the current road is a bit higher than it was in the medieval era. Definitely put it on your list of places to see in Visby.

Saint Michael’s Church Ruins…? (Mikael)

When I was leaving Gotland, I noticed I didn’t have any photos of Saint Michael’s church ruins. Horrified, I looked up what it looked like. Then I remembered that I did indeed see the “church ruins” but they’re now just a wall about 6 feet tall, that someone uses to contain their driveway. There is a little plaque there but I didn’t even bother taking a picture. Sorry! It’s a cute street though.

Do you like medieval churches? Gotland has dozens of them outside of Visby that are much better preserved! Read my post on Gotland to get an idea of what else you can see on the island.

I absolutely loved both Visby and Gotland. Getting to see the 12 medieval churches was a fun little quest and all the church ruins put Visby’s medieval history into focus. They’re all in and around the medieval walls so if you have some time in Visby, try seeing them all and determine which is your favorite.

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You can actually stay right next to Saint Clement’s ruin in a cute little hotel – the ruin is right in their backyard! Learn more & book here.

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