Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary

Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary stands at the centre of the village of Puklice on the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands, in the Jihlava District of the Czech Republic. This modest branch church of the Roman Catholic parish of Luka nad Jihlavou has an unusual backstory: it began life not as a church, but as a manor granary.

From granary to church

Villagers in Puklice had wanted a church of their own since the early 1940s, but wartime conditions ruled out building one from scratch. The opportunity finally came after 1945, when the estate of the local large landowner was confiscated. One of the outbuildings of the former manor farm — a granary — was chosen for conversion into a place of worship. The rebuilding work ran from 1946 to 1948, and the finished church was consecrated on 15 August 1948. It has served ever since as a branch church of the Luka nad Jihlavou parish, covering nearby villages of the Highlands.

What the building looks like

The church has a plain rectangular floor plan — a shape that betrays its origin as a farm building rather than a purpose-built sanctuary. A sacristy was added to the side of the main volume. On the front stands a tower that narrows noticeably in its upper storey, housing the church bells and a clock. The tower is capped with a pyramidal roof topped by a slender finial. This combination — a plain, utilitarian body paired with a slim, upward-reaching tower — makes the church easy to pick out in the village skyline despite its small scale.

Why it's worth a visit

The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is above all a piece of the region's post-war social history: it shows how a local community, unable to build anew, adapted an existing manor building to serve its spiritual needs. For anyone touring the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands, it's a small but telling stop connecting the story of rural architecture with the region's social history after 1945. Puklice lies in a quiet, agricultural part of the Jihlava District, making it a good addition to a route through the Highlands' lesser-known corners, away from the main tourist trails.

As an active parish church, the building primarily serves the local congregation, and viewing the interior is usually tied to service times — worth checking in advance, either locally or with the Luka nad Jihlavou parish.

Frequently asked questions

What was the church building originally used for? It was a granary belonging to the local manor estate, converted into a church after the estate was confiscated after 1945.

When was the church consecrated? It was consecrated on 15 August 1948, following reconstruction work carried out between 1946 and 1948.

Which parish does the Puklice church belong to? It is a branch church of the Roman Catholic parish of Luka nad Jihlavou.

What does the church's architecture look like? A plain rectangular body with a sacristy attached to the side, and a front tower that narrows in its upper storey, housing bells and a clock, topped with a pyramidal roof and a slender finial.