St James’s Church

A distinctive landmark of the town of Příbram, the Church of St James the Greater (sometimes referred to as the Church of St James the Elder) is probably the town’s oldest architectural monument.
Originally a Gothic building, possibly dating from the first half of the 13th century, it has been rebuilt several times. In addition to its spiritual purpose, the church also served a defensive function.
A cemetery surrounded the church, but this was closed in 1784. The cemetery’s boundary wall (remnants of which were discovered during the recent reconstruction of the square; it was demolished in 1835), together with the church tower featuring a wooden or half-timbered superstructure, partially compensated for the town’s missing fortifications. The church stood on a prominent hill, which is no longer visible today due to later alterations to the square. The oldest wooden and stone town houses stood right next to the enclosure wall.

The church tower still contains partially bricked-up arrow slits dating from the 15th–16th centuries and a ‘secret chamber’ in which the town’s valuables and important documents were stored.
The original medieval interior was probably destroyed during the Hussite Wars.

The ribbed vault above the tower staircase dates from the Renaissance period. The tower was severely damaged in 1761 after being struck by lightning. In the 18th century, the church was rebuilt in the Baroque style; the flat ceiling in the nave was replaced by a barrel vault with segmental arches.

The main marble altar, dating from 1750 and crafted by Josef Lauermann, comes from the dissolved monastery in Mariánská Týnice; it was moved to Příbram in 1795. Due to its height, it was set into the original Gothic crypt on a plinth. The entrance to the underground crypt, containing the coffins of prominent townspeople, is situated directly in front of the high altar.
Two further side altars featuring statues of saints (St John of Nepomuk and the 14 Holy Helpers) and the pulpit also originate from Týnice.

Among the most valuable artefacts are two beautiful polychrome woodcarvings on the high altar by the eminent late Baroque sculptor Ignác František Platzer. The carvings depict the parents of the Virgin Mary.
Of particular value is the original and recently restored pewter baptismal font dating from 1511. On the outside, the church tower is adorned with an early Baroque plague column featuring a statue of St James (which originally stood in front of the entrance to the former cemetery) and a statue of St John of Nepomuk (which originally stood in front of the old town hall).

The church’s current appearance dates from 1869. The tower acquired its present form with four side turrets in the Neo-Gothic style, and the original shingle roofing was replaced with slate.

The tower clock, which was repaired in 1842 by the Prague clockmaker Balke, has an interesting feature: the hour is indicated by the large hand, and the minutes by the small one.

The church underwent further alterations in 1923, 1971 and 1997. In 2012, as part of the square’s reconstruction, the church was repainted, a new southern staircase was added, and the surrounding overgrown lime trees, which were compromising the church’s structural integrity, were removed.

The Church of St James the Greater has borne witness to the history of the town of Příbram from its earliest days to the present day and deserves special attention amongst Příbram’s historical monuments.

Author: Mgr. Jiří Schmidt

Contact

Parish priest: Fr. Mgr. Bc. Jan Primus

Address:
Roman Catholic Parish of St James
, Jakubská 97
, 261 01, Příbram 1

Telephone: 318 624 794
Mobile: 604 356 268

e-mail:JanPrimus@seznam.cz

http://farapribram.cz