Church of St. Jakuba Brno

The church dates from the beginning of the 13th century, it was probably built between 1201-1222. In 1340, an ossuary was erected in the basement of the house next door. At that time, there was a cemetery near the church, and due to lack of space, the bones moved to the ossuary after some time. In the second half of the 14th century, several more chapels were built around the church. The building of the church itself was continuously expanded until it acquired its final late Gothic three-nave form. The church has always survived the war period unscathed, so there was no need for its reconstruction and it has retained this predominantly Gothic face to this day. In the 16th century, only a tower with a Renaissance dome was added.

The cemetery around the church was abolished in 1784 and gradually the complex of chapels disappeared. Several tombstones from the cemetery were moved to the church, currently there are six. There is also the tomb of the famous Brno defender Louise Raduit de Souches, who commanded an army defending the city from the Swedish attack during the Thirty Years' War.

The interior of the church will captivate you with its majestic columns, beautiful arches and decorations. On the ceiling of the church there are a number of coats of arms of aristocratic families, guild emblems and several monograms. The builder A. Pilgram, who also stands behind the portal of the Old Town Hall, took part in the construction of the church. And just as he created a funny prank in the decoration in the form of a sloping turret, he did not forgive himself for such a joke here. In the south window of the tower, on the right side of the entrance, there is a little man who is sticking out a bare butt to passers-by.

Right next to the church is the entrance to the ossuary, which has been open to the public since 2012. Until recently, no one had any idea about the extent of the ossuary. Over time, it has forgotten about its existence. However, an archaeological survey was carried out during the construction work in 2001, and to everyone's surprise, the second largest ossuary in Europe was discovered. The number of people buried is estimated at up to 50,000 people.

Church of St. Jakuba is one of the most beautiful and interesting sacral monuments in Brno and it is definitely worth seeing it.

Author: Martina Limbergová