The Church of St. James was built from 1309 to the 15th century and is one of the most important examples of the brick architecture of the Baltic Sea basin. Managed by Cistercians and then Benedictines, it became a Protestant church in the years 1557-1667, and only became a Catholic parish church in the 19th century.
This iconic cathedral is noted by its enormous west tower. It is built in a gothic style using mostly brick. The original cathedral was constructed in the 13th century and the most recent additions were completed in the 15th century. There is a baptismal font in the cathedral that is allegedly where Nicolas Copernicus was baptized. It also houses the third largest bell in Poland.
The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary was built between 1280 and 1320, and since the 13th century has housed a public school and library. In 1473 the "Studium Particulare" was founded in the church. The school, which was later also known as the Academy Chełmnoer, was run by friars from the Netherlands. In 1519, the church was designated as a collegiate church. In 1649 the church became a Marian church and from 1676 to 1825 it was administered by missionaries.
The Church of St. James the Elder and St. Nicholas was built in the 13th and 14th centuries as a Franciscan church. The year 1806 marked the dissolution of the Franciscan order and the conversion of the church into a civil building such as a grammar school in 1859.
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