Cathedral Basilica of St. James the Apostle, Szczecin
| Cathedral Basilica of St. James the Apostle Bazylika Archikatedralna Św. Jakuba w Szczecinie (Polish) Jakobskathedrale (German) |
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Szczecin, Poland |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| District | Old Town |
| Province | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Szczecin-Kamień |
| Architectural description | |
| Architectural style | Gothic, neo-baroque |
| Completed | 14th century |
| Height (max) | 110.18 meters |
The Cathedral Basilica of St. James the Apostle in Szczecin (Polish: Bazylika archikatedralna św. Jakuba w Szczecinie, German: Jakobskathedrale or also Jakobikirche Stettin) - was built by the citizens of the city and modeled after the Church of St. Mary in Lübeck. It is the largest church in Pomerania and for many years after the reformation was part of the Pomeranian Evangelical Church, but since World War II and the handing over of Stettin to Poland it has been rebuilt as a Roman Catholic cathedral.
The church was established in 1187 and the Romanesque-style building was completed in the 14th century. One of its two towers collapsed during a storm in 1456 and destroyed part of the church. Reconstruction lasted until 1503 and the entire church was remodeled based on a single-tower hall church design.
The church was destroyed again in 1677 during the Scanian War and rebuilt between 1690 and 1693 in the Baroque style. In 1893, the church was remodeled again however, the west tower collapsed during a storm in 1894 and had to be rebuilt. This remodeling was completed in 1901 leaving the church with a spire of 119 meters (390 feet).
Air raids on the night of 16 August 1944 during World War II resulted in collapse of the spire added in 1901 and extensive damage to other parts of the building. The north wall, all altars and artworks inside were destroyed by the bombs and ensuing fire. Following the war, government officials were reluctant to allow reconstruction of the church however, a heritage conservator pointed out that demolition of the remaining structure would be more costly than rebuilding it. In 1971, work began on the church and continued for three years. The north wall was reconstructed in a modern style which did not harmonize with the rest of the building and the tower was stabilized, but the spire was not rebuilt. Instead, the tower was capped with a short hip roof or pyramid roof resulting in a height of 60 meters (196 feet).
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