Church of Saint James the Elder (Letařovice)

The Church of St. James the Greater in Letařovice is a small filial church belonging to the parish of Český Dub, located in the Liberec District of the Liberec Region in northern Bohemia. From the outside it looks like a modest village church, yet its interior hides one of the region's most unusual relics — an ossuary altar assembled from human bones and skulls.

How old is the church in Letařovice?

The original building was Gothic, with the first written mention of the church dating back to 1363. Sections of the walls from the second half of the 14th century survive to this day, and traces of medieval wall paintings from that period can still be found inside. The church underwent a substantial Baroque reconstruction in 1695, which gave it much of its present, more monumental appearance while preserving parts of the older structure.

What does the church look like?

In the 1570s the building received a Renaissance facade decorated with sgraffito — a technique in which a top layer of plaster is scratched away to reveal a darker layer beneath, creating contrasting patterns. Decades later, in 1733 or 1734, a prism-shaped bell tower with a belfry was added, and it still dominates the church's silhouette today.

Inside, the most striking feature is a wooden coffered ceiling made up of 91 square panels. Sixty of them are decorated with figurative paintings created in 1722 by an unknown folk painter — a rare and valuable example of provincial Baroque sacred art.

What is the ossuary next to the church?

The best-known part of the complex is the charnel house adjoining the church, where in 1770 the local cantor arranged an altar out of hundreds of human bones and skulls. The project was inspired by the already famous ossuary in Sedlec, near Kutná Hora. Although the Letařovice ossuary is much smaller than its model, it remains a unique testimony to Baroque religious imagination and the local memento mori tradition.

What else is worth knowing about the interior?

The church houses a historic organ built in 1875 by Josef Prediger. It was rebuilt in 1890 by Josef Kobrle, giving the instrument the form it has retained ever since. The combination of Gothic walls, a Renaissance facade, Baroque decoration and an 18th-century ossuary makes the Letařovice church a layered building in which successive stages of its history remain clearly legible.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the Church of St. James the Greater located? In the village of Letařovice, in the Liberec District of the Liberec Region, as a filial church belonging to the parish of Český Dub.

What is the church best known for? Its ossuary altar made of human bones and skulls, assembled in 1770 and inspired by the famous ossuary in Sedlec.

How old is the church? The original Gothic church was first mentioned in 1363, and surviving walls date from the second half of the 14th century. Its current appearance largely comes from the 1695 Baroque reconstruction and the 1570s Renaissance facade.

Does the church have a historic organ? Yes — the organ was built in 1875 and rebuilt in 1890 by Josef Kobrle.