The Church of St John the Baptist is located in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. It is situated outside the city walls, on a cliff on the north bank of the River Dee, and is considered one of the finest examples of 11th- and 12th-century ecclesiastical architecture.
The church was laid out by King Ethelred in 689. In1075, Peter, Bishop of Lichfield, moved his See to Chester, making St John's Church a cathedral. Peter's successor moved the cathedra to Coventry and St John's became co-cathedral. Construction and expansion of the church continued until the end of the 13th century, but at the time of Henry VIII's ecclesiastical reforms the church fell into disrepair, both figuratively and literally. In 1468 the central tower collapsed, in 1572 the north-west tower partially collapsed, and in 1574 the complete collapse of this tower damaged the western spans of the nave. Serious reconstruction of the church was undertaken in 1859-66 and 1886-87. During rebuilding work on the north-west tower in 1881, it collapsed again, this time damaging the north porch. It was rebuilt in 1881-82.
The church is built of sandstone. The interiors of the church are mainly Romanesque, while the exterior is dominated by the Early English Gothic style. The ruins of early church buildings remain on the east side of the church.
