Jacob's Church (Církvice)
The Jakobskirche in the Jakub (German St. Jakob ) part of the parish of Církvice ( Zirkwitz ), about halfway between Kutná Hora and Čáslav , is a Romanesque Roman Catholic church from the 12th century. Since 2008 it has been designated as a national cultural monument . The church patron is James the Elder .
history
The church was consecrated on November 19, 1165 by the Bishop of Prague Daniel I in the presence of the Bohemian King Vladislav II and Queen Judith . This is evidenced by a certificate of consecration ("Autentika") with the bishop's wax seal, which was found in 1846 during renovation work in the area of the organ and is now in the National Museum in Prague.
Building description
Layout
The single-nave church building is closed in the east by a semicircular apse , and in the west is the 30 m high church tower with a square floor plan. The church was built from sandstone from a nearby quarry.
Romanesque figure decoration
The long sides of the church building are divided by two rows with blind arcades . They contain Romanesque sculptures from the middle of the 12th century, which are among the most important in the Czech Republic from this period. They are not the work of a single sculptor, but their exact origin can no longer be determined. It is assumed that either of stone masons of the Cistercian - monastery Sedlec . Or by sculptors at the court of Prince Vladislav II were prepared. They were not made specifically for the church, so that adjustments were necessary during installation, which can be recognized by cut legs and swords.
The sculptures on the upper floor are in a much better condition than those in the lower area, the reason for this being damage from war events. In the 15th century, in the course of the Hussite Wars under the leader Jan Žižka, there were battles in the area of the church, in the Thirty Years War there were battles against the Swedish troops.
In the arch directly above the main portal there is a representation of the church patron. St. James is flanked by two kneeling figures, possibly the apostles Peter and Paul. In the niche on the left, the second bishop of Prague, St. Adalbert, is shown with a crook . If the figure in the niche following St. James on the right is actually the Czech national saint Wenceslaus with shield and sword, as assumed , then it is the oldest surviving representation of this saint. To the right of the apse there is another figure with an episcopal miter on his head, perhaps St. Prokop, also from Bohemia . The tympanum above the portal, depicting the Majestas Domini ("glory of the Lord"), is also very beautiful . Christ is enthroned above the clouds, the Book of Life open, angels on both sides pay homage to him with incense and a palm branch.
inner space
Originally the sacred building was equipped with a wooden beam ceiling. Due to damage from the Hussite Wars, a renovation was urgently necessary in 1570. The church was given a two-part vault in the Renaissance style . This renovation was financed by the Counts Sternberg , on whose property the church was located at that time, so the family star can be seen as rosettes. The supporting arches of the vault made it necessary that the middle windows of the nave had to be bricked up.
In the apse there are paintings in which four stations from the life of the apostle James are depicted below a large Christ, including the condemnation by Herod Agrippa and the martyr's death in AD 44.
There was a cemetery around the church until the beginning of the 20th century. Some gravestones from the 17th century were placed inside the church after it was abandoned.
Two bells made in nearby Kutná Hora hang in the tower with two rows of triple arched windows . The James bell is decorated with an image of James with a pilgrim's stick and dates from 1504, the Joseph bell was cast in 1515.
A major renovation took place between 1872 and 1874 under the direction of Joseph Kranner , who attached great importance to preserving the Romanesque structure as authentically as possible. In 1883, Josef Mocker was in charge of the repair of the church tower. The painting of the apse was done by Peter Maixner . The last major renovation was carried out from 1999 to 2007.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ sv. Jakuba v Jakubu u Kutné Hory (Církvice - Jakub), Oficiální stránky Národního památkového ústavu, 2012-01-17
- ↑ Umělecké památky Čech, Academia, Praha 1977
Coordinates: 49 ° 56 ′ 45.2 ″ N , 15 ° 20 ′ 12.1 ″ E