Church of Saint James the Greater

The Church of Saint James the Greater stands in the northwestern part of the main square in Úpice, a small town in the Trutnov District of the Hradec Králové Region, and is protected as a cultural monument of the Czech Republic.

What is the history behind the church?

The earliest records of a church on this site date back to the 14th century, when a wooden structure stood here — a common arrangement for parish churches in this part of Bohemia during the Middle Ages. Everything changed in 1625, when a devastating fire swept through Úpice, destroying nearly the entire town, including the houses around the square and the church itself. Reconstruction began just two years later, in 1627, and was completed in 1629. The church did not reach its present masonry form until the early 18th century: in 1705 it was rebuilt from the ground up in its current shape, funded from the estate of the local parish priest, Pelikán, with master builder Jiří Schott of Broumov overseeing construction. That same year, on October 18, 1705, the church was consecrated by the Königgrätz bishop Tobias Becker.

What can visitors see inside and outside?

The church is a single-nave Baroque building with a presbytery closed on three sides at its eastern end. A rectangular sacristy adjoins the north side, matched by a rectangular annex on the south side; above both rooms, on the upper floor, oratories were installed. The west facade is crowned by a rectangular tower, visible from across the square and one of the recognizable landmarks of Úpice.

The interior holds a handful of noteworthy furnishings. A pewter baptismal font from 1665, decorated with early Baroque figurative ornamentation, predates the current building itself — suggesting it either survived the 1625 fire or was made during the reconstruction that preceded the 1705 rebuilding. The second notable piece is a Baroque pulpit from 1704, carved by A. Seidl of Trutnov, completed almost at the same time as the present church structure.

Who should visit, and how should you plan a stop here?

The Church of Saint James the Greater is a representative example of a modest, provincial Baroque parish church from the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries, a type found throughout the sub-Krkonoše region. Its appeal lies not in monumental scale but in a clearly legible history — from a medieval wooden chapel, through the catastrophe of a town-wide fire, to a rebuilding financed by a local priest's bequest. It makes a worthwhile stop for travelers exploring the area around Trutnov and the Krkonoše Mountains who want to see local church architecture without the crowds typical of Prague's major sights. The square on which the church sits forms the natural walking hub of the small town.

Because the church still functions as an active parish, visiting the interior is best planned around service times, or checked locally in advance — smaller parish churches in the Czech Republic rarely keep fixed tourist visiting hours outside the main season. The exterior and tower, however, can be admired year-round, and a walk around the square lets visitors appreciate how the building anchors the town's layout.

Frequently asked questions

How old is the Church of Saint James the Greater in Úpice? The first, wooden church on this site dates to the 14th century. The present masonry church in its Baroque form was built in 1705, following an earlier reconstruction between 1627 and 1629 after the town's 1625 fire.

Who built the current church? The 1705 construction was funded from the estate of parish priest Pelikán and carried out by master builder Jiří Schott of Broumov.

What is the most valuable furnishing inside? A pewter baptismal font from 1665 with early Baroque figurative decoration, and a Baroque pulpit from 1704 by A. Seidl of Trutnov.

Where exactly is the church located? In the northwestern part of the main square in Úpice, in the Trutnov District of the Hradec Králové Region, in eastern Bohemia.