Church of St. John (Jan - John the Baptist) in Cesis is one of the oldest medieval architectural monuments in Latvia. It was built in 1281-1284 years as the main cathedral of the Livonian Order in the form of a three-nave church shestistolpny. This huge cathedral length of 65 meters and a width of 32 meters. It consists of three parts, and its western part is a powerful 65-meter tower with Gothic spiers height of 15 meters. Temple is designed for 1000 seats.

In the years 1582-1621 the church was the cathedral Livonian Catholic bishop, and after 1621 became the Lutheran Church. Some details (for example, surround a step Groin supports in the section) indicate the influence of the architecture of the Riga Cathedral of St. Mary. A massive structure and lapidary decoration characteristic of the buildings of the Livonian Order. The walls are made of roughly chipped blocks of limestone, ribs and arches made of profiled bricks, which are found in the castle Master of the Order.

Cross vaults of the temple and ascends The Basilica element lined with red brick exterior, decorated with a frieze of lancet nishek and cut through the Gothic windows, characteristic of the architecture around the middle of the XIV century. Also, it says the only console arches of the nave, made in the form of a man's head, and located near the Arc de Triomphe.

The growing influence of the Order served as a pretext for some modernirovaniya cathedral, begun probably at the beginning of the XV century. The presbytery has been pulled and is equated to the average height of the nave (it is very curved arches, compared with the other, the facades are decorated with ordinary arkaturno frieze), and is located at the northern nave chapel - a chapel, which has a rectangular shape in the plan. Most likely, at the same time was built the western tower with a tall steeple, came down in the early XVII century and restore nearly 100 years. The tower survived the former chief a promising portal, decorated with stylized zoomorphic figures.

In XVII-XVIII centuries the exterior walls, changed under the influence of spreading codes and frequent fires (1607, 1665, 1748 years), were recorded by massive buttresses and internal connections. In 1853, a local master-M.Sarum Podyn hoisted to the top tier of the west tower and a pyramidal spire. As a result, it has acquired neo-Gothic features.

Due to the growth of the cultural layer (the current level of the ground at 1, 5-2 meters above the former), and the proportion of middle aisles distorted. The pillars that separate the church in the longitudinal direction, unusually low, as the level of the floor comes now almost to foot arches that are on them, and arches - squat.

The interior of the church placed the tombstones of many masters of the Livonian Order and the bishops, who are examples of decorative art XV-XVI centuries. I would like to highlight among them a late bishop I.P.Nidetski tombstone (around 1588), which is located in a niche sculpture of a reclining figure of the deceased. Neo-Gothic retablo created the idea of ​​the architect AI Shtakenshneider from St. Petersburg (in 1858, carpenter Bidenrot), the altarpiece "Golgotha" written by the famous painter I.P.Kelerom from Estonia (1860 copies are in St. Isaac's Cathedral and St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna). The windows are decorated with stained-glass windows of the choir of 80-ies of XIX century.

In 1907, the church had a new organ. Architect V.Neymann recreated polychrome painting of the Middle Ages to the ribs arches. Also, work has begun on clearing buildings from later additions. In 1930 the sacristy was built, replacing the previously existing at the southern wall of the choir.

Today in Cesis St. John's Church organized concerts world-famous choirs and organ music. The temple is home to the International Festival of Young Organists. Also, the church is a favorite place for artists. There are a variety of art exhibitions. From church tower offers a wonderful view and you can even see the Blue Mountain, located at a distance of 40 kilometers.