A church at the site of Sant'Agata was present by the 8th century, when the neighborhood was located outside the city walls, but after the 1184 fire destroyed the ancient church, it was reconstructed in the 15th-century in Gothic style. Destruction by fire of this church was somewhat paradoxical, since Saint Agatha was the saint invoked for protection against fires. Further modifications were completed along the centuries, leading to a pastiche of styles. The incomplete 14th-century facade has a Renaissance architecture facade, decorated with Baroque statuary.
Inside, the presbytery dates from the 15th century, the ceiling from the 16th century, the altars and fresco decoration from the 1680s, and the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento is from the 18th century. The main altarpiece depicting Sant'Agata with Saints Peter, Paul, Lucia, Apollonia standing before the cross (1522) is a masterwork by Francesco Prata from Caravaggio.
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.