Bydlin Castle was built in the 14th century and appears in documents after 1389. The builder of the castle was probably Niemierza of Strzała or his father Pełka. At the end of the 15th century the stronghold became the Brzezickis’ property, and then the Szczepanoskis’ and the Boners’. In the second half of the 16th century Jan Firlej transformed the castle into the Arian Protestant Church, and at the end of the 16th cent. his son, Mikołaj Firlej, converted it into the Catholic Church of the Holy Cross. The building was abandoned at the end of the 18th century due to escalating assaults of the brigands and since then it has been falling into ruin.
References:Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.
Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.
There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.