The church was built against the backdrop of the development of Evangelical religious architecture in Bydgoszcz and its suburbs during the 19th century. Evangelicals arrived in Fordon after 1772. They were German settlers, encouraged by the protective policies of the Prussian kings. The Evangelical parish in Fordon flourished between 1850 and 1914. At that time, Germans of the Evangelical faith constituted the majority of the population of Fordon and the surrounding area. After World War I, the congregation shrank to 900 people, and by the eve of World War II, to just 300. Construction of the church began and was completed in November 1879; however, the furnishing and finishing work continued until 1892. The church’s architecture is in the Neo-Gothic style, with a facade of red clinker brick. The tower and sacristy visible today were likely added during the first decade of the 20th century. The church was equipped with two bronze bells and an organ by Wilhelm Sauer of Frankfurt.

The building served religious purposes until 1945, when members of the German Evangelical parish left Poland. The church was taken over by the Bydgoszcz County Office and handed over to Catholics; unfortunately, the ecclesiastical authorities delayed the process for several years; later, the authorities were no longer willing to hand over the building and turned it into a grain warehouse, and in the 1950s, a warehouse for protective clothing. In the 1970s, the dilapidated building was slated for demolition: it had a damaged roof, cracks in the walls, a damaged tower pillar, damage to the foundations and walls, no doors or any furnishings inside, missing balustrades on the balconies, and damaged window frames.

Efforts to reclaim the building for religious purposes were not successful until 1983. A major renovation was carried out. In 1990, the parish of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist was established.

Church of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist (Stary Fordon)

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