Church of St. James

Church of St. James stands on a small hill above Mertovy sady park on the western edge of Jindřichův Hradec, Czechia. From the outside it looks like an ordinary parish church, but it was actually built as a family burial site for the noble Czernin family of Chudenice — which is one reason it stays closed to the public most of the year.

How old is this church really?

A church has stood on this hill since before 1516, but over the centuries the original building fell into disrepair. The turning point came in the mid-19th century, when Count Karel Evžen Czernin of Chudenice commissioned a full reconstruction. Work ran from 1855 to 1860 and effectively produced a new Neo-Gothic building, conceived from the outset to serve two purposes at once: an active church and a family mausoleum for the Czernins.

Who designed and built it?

The reconstruction was designed by the Austrian architect Friedrich August von Stache, while the construction itself was carried out by builder Jan Kocáb. The result is a distinctly Neo-Gothic structure: a five-sided presbytery closed off by a fan vault with a circular keystone at its center, pointed windows filled with stone tracery, and carved rosettes decorating the tower.

What's inside the crypt?

Beneath the church lies a crypt that was meant to become the final resting place of the Czernin family. Curiously, it stands empty today — even though the entire building was redesigned specifically to house the family tomb, no burials ever took place there. That unresolved detail is part of why locals in Jindřichův Hradec still talk about the church with a note of mystery.

Can visitors go inside?

The church isn't open on a regular basis — it no longer functions as an active parish church in the everyday sense, and its condition calls for careful handling. It opens to the public only occasionally, most reliably during the nationwide Night of Churches event, and sometimes on selected Sundays during the summer season, when local associations run open days tied to fundraising for restoration. Because the schedule shifts from year to year, it's worth checking local announcements before planning a visit.

Who looks after the building today?

The Church of St. James is a protected heritage monument owned by the Czech state and cared for by the National Heritage Institute (Národní památkový ústav). Given the building's ongoing deterioration, efforts are underway to raise funds for a comprehensive restoration — several of the public open days double as fundraising events for that purpose.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the church located? On a hill above Mertovy sady park, on the western side of Jindřichův Hradec, within easy walking distance of the town center.

Is it a working parish church? Not in the traditional sense — the building primarily serves as a heritage mausoleum for the Czernin family and opens only occasionally rather than for regular services.

Why is the crypt empty if it was built as a tomb? Even though the entire reconstruction was carried out specifically to create a family burial site for the Czernins, no burials ever took place there, and the crypt remains empty to this day.

When is the best chance to see the interior? The most reliable opportunity is the nationwide Night of Churches event, with occasional additional Sundays during the summer — check announcements from the town or local tourist information office for current dates.