St. John's Church
Start in front of St. John's Church and take in the bulk of it: a Lutheran basilica in Brick Gothic style, built of dolomite and brick, and counted as the most important medieval basilica in Latvia outside Riga. The heavy buttresses along the walls were added in the 18th century, and the neo-Gothic tower only went up from 1853. When the church was new it had neither a tower nor a raised central nave, so much of what you see is the work of later centuries. Look closely at the walls for the details: a medieval sundial, coats of arms set into the masonry, inscriptions and tomb slabs.
The church's story begins with an agreement between Wilhelm von Nindorf, Master of the Order, and the Bishop of Riga, recorded in the Livonian Chronicle of Hermann von Wartberge; historians date the laying of the foundation stone to 1284. In the early 16th century it turned Lutheran and became a centre of the Reformation. The Livonian War left it badly damaged, after which it became Catholic again and the seat of the Bishopric of Wenden. In 1613 it was described as "very dilapidated", and Bishop Otto von Schenking had it restored. Only when Sweden conquered Livonia in the 1620s did it return to the Lutheran faith.
Fire struck the building again and again. After lightning hit it in 1663, the church stood close to ruin for about a hundred years. Until 1855 services were held only in German; after that the Latvian and German congregations shared the church until 1939.
Going inside is worth it if you care about wall paintings and tomb slabs. Entry is by donation, while the tower has its own ticket, the cheapest on this walk.
From the church it is only 150 m, about 2 min, to the Old Town; on the way you pass Cēsu Maize Bakery.
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