St. Johann, Gothic church in Osnabrück, Germany

St. Johann is a Gothic church in the center of Osnabrück, with two towers that rise above the rooftops of the old town. Inside, pointed arches and tall stone columns frame a long nave that runs toward the chancel at the far end.

Bishop Dietmar founded a collegiate foundation dedicated to John the Baptist and laid the first stone of the original church on 13 July 1011. On 25 March 1256 Bishop Bruno began the present building, starting with the choir and transept around the old church; it was consecrated on 18 August 1292, though work continued into the early 14th century.

St. Johann is a Catholic parish church, not a Lutheran one; its patron is John the Baptist. The sandstone figures on the choir and crossing piers show the Salvator, Mary, John the Baptist, John the Evangelist and the twelve apostles; the two John figures date from around 1400, the Peter and Paul figures from 1630. In the Cross Chapel, half of a 15th-century double Madonna in a halo of rays is kept, while the other half is in St. Ansgar's Church in Osnabrück-Nahne.

The church stands in the old town and is easy to reach on foot from the city center. Opening times can change around services and local events, so it is worth checking the notice at the entrance before you arrive.

The oak high altar of 1512 by Evert van Roden survives only in its central section, now back in its old position; at 2.70 m high and 3.77 m wide, its original width is estimated at 7.54 m. The lost wings' whereabouts are unknown. Sixteen life-size sandstone figures of Christ, Mary, both Johns and the apostles line the choir and crossing piers, the two Johns carved around 1400.