The Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is located on the site of an original Gothic church from the 13th century. A vestibule with circular vaulting was preserved from a building constructed in 1458, along with the bottom part of the tower. After a fire in 1635 the church was reconstructed in Baroque style (D. Rossi and D. Orsi) and also from 1746-1755 by J.K. Kosh. The church is used for religious purposes. A large reconstruction of the truss and facade was done by the Municipal Office in 1995.
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.