The beginnings of the Church of St. James parish (Kostel sv. Jakuba) are connected with the time when an organised plan of the city started to emerge. The site was settled freely following the discovery of silver ore at the end of the 1230s, or soon after 1240. The intention to build a parish church was undoubtedly part of the initial plan. A site on a promontory at the city walls, well protected by the slope along the Jihlávka River, was selected. It was a convenient location close to the town centre. The Premonstratensians from the nearby monastery in Želiv, who already owned some estates in the area, procured the right of patronage over the newly emerging parish church. The first construction activities are attributed to this Order. A basic construction plan was formulated at that time, which envisaged a church with a three-aisled nave and a longer chancel. The church perimeter walls were erected, as well as the entire chancel with the sacristy, followed by the main entrance portal in the west frontage. In terms of the architectural style, it was a conservative, practically Romanesque construction plan.
However, this approach changed dramatically in the second half of the 13th century. This substantial change might have been connected with the activity of Jihlava’s inhabitants, who were gradually becoming wealthier. For the construction of the parish church, they might have employed the workforce of the cutting-edge construction enterprise which was sent to Jihlava in connection with the construction of the Dominican church. The chancel underwent radical remodelling – its spatial concept was now closer to the classic Gothic style. In this context, the design of the three-aisled nave also changed – the hall-type interior was now more coherent. In 1257, the church was consecrated by Bruno von Schauenburg, bishop of Olomouc and the king’s adviser. With this act, the parish rights were passed there from Church of St. John the Baptist (Kostel sv. Jana Křtitele). Even though the church nave had been consecrated, the construction work was far from over.
In the following one hundred years, Jihlava was in its heyday, which was initially the result of silver mining, and later trade and business development. This prosperity was also reflected in the progress of construction work in the church as the parish church was a prominent building for wealthy Jihlava inhabitants. In the last quarter of the 14th century, the interior of the three-aisled nave was modified, octagonal pillars were erected, and the three-aisled nave probably received the groin vault at the time. The three-aisled nave interior was brightened considerably with the renovation of the windows with late Gothic flame tracery. The growing interest of the town in the church construction resulted in disputes with the Želiv Premonstratensians, which were even dealt with by the Pope. In 1400, the City Council got permission to build altars with their own right of patronage. It was probably at that time, too, that the renowned statue of St. Catherine in a splendid architectural style was acquired to decorate the new chapel. Thus, the town’s order definitively prevailed and played a crucial role in the finishing touches on the church interior and in the emphasis on a majestic form. In addition, other preserved sculptural works and an illuminated manuscript also testify to the high value of the local culture. For the needs of the town and its guilds, more chapels were built during the 15th and 16th centuries.
The 15th century was a period of great unrest in Jihlava. In 1436, on the occasion of the Compacts agreement, Mass was celebrated in the church in the presence of the Emperor. In the ensuing period, probably as a result of a siege, and perhaps an earthquake, the church was badly damaged. In the 1480s, it had to undergo major renovation. The Mount of Olives (Olivetská hora) sculpture, originally intended for the cemetery chapel, dates from that period, too. The church was destroyed again in a fire in 1523, and the renovations took several decades to complete. A part of the vault and the church roof had to be rebuilt. Before the middle of the 16th century, the frontage towers were extended by one floor. Soon after, however, the southern tower had to be made lower again due to structural problems. As a result of the unstable social situation, the 17th century did not bring any significant construction activities. There were no major renovations until the beginning of the 18th century, when the Baroque Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows(Kaple Bolestné Panny Marie) with a distinctive layout on a central octagonal floor plan was added adjacent to the north nave. Baroque additions then changed the western frontage, too.
At the turn of the 19th century, extensive renovations of the interior, and part of the exterior of the church, were carried out. In the spirit of “re-gothisation”, this endeavour tried to remove all Baroque modifications, and determined the contemporary appearance of the church. Among other things, the church got new plaster and the church interior was painted. Even though some of the paintings were removed again during the renovation in the 1980s, the rest of the modifications have been preserved to this day. Of the latest modifications in the church, of note is the complete reconstruction of the trussing and roof from 2017–2019.
DN
