Sankta Gertrud, also known as Saint Gertrude, was built in the early 13th century and was originally dedicated to Saint George, but was later named after Saint Gertrude, the patron saint of travelers and the sick. It is the smallest of the former churches in Visby.
The construction of Sankta Gertrud was commissioned by the city council of Visby in the early 1200s, and it is believed that the church was completed around the year 1230. The church was built in the Gothic style and was originally a relatively modest structure. However, over the years, it was expanded and embellished with various additions, including a new choir and a large bell tower. The church also had several chapels, which were added over the centuries.
Despite its many alterations, Sankta Gertrud remained an important place of worship for the people of Visby for several centuries. However, with the Reformation in the 16th century, the church's fortunes began to decline. The last service was held in the church in 1528, after which it was abandoned and left to fall into ruin.
The main entrance is still present and designed in a Romanesque style as a round arch portal, which is considered to be from the 13th century. If that is the case, it must have existed when the church was built, and has been preserved for use as the entrance to the church. It is also possible that other parts of older buildings were incorporated into the construction of the church. The brick arch and the straight tympanum beneath it were added when the church was built. On the tympanum, there is a carved image of a female saint carrying a model of a church, which of course is Saint Gertrude. The model refers to her eagerness to build churches. The Tott and Bonde family coat of arms, belonging to the local lord Tott and his wife Magdalena, daughter of Karl Knutsson Bonde, are also present on the tympanum.
Saint Gertrude of Nivelle, who gave her name to the church, lived in the 7th century. She was the daughter of the Frankish maior domus Pippin of the Land. She became abbess in the monastery of Nivelles in Brabant, in present-day Belgium, which her mother Itta founded in the middle of the 6th century. According to the legend, she would have saved some sailors who called out to her when they were in distress at sea. She therefore became the patron saint of travelers in the Middle Ages, and it happened that people drank to Saint Gertrude's memory before starting a journey. There are also legends about miracles she performed, mainly to cure the sick and help poor people.
