Church of Saint Mary Magdalene, Art Nouveau Catholic church in Jerab, Czech Republic
The Church of Saint Mary Magdalene is a former Capuchin monastery church built in 1908–1911 in Neo-Baroque style with Art Nouveau elements. Its vaulted nave measures 28 m by 20 m, ends in a semicircular presbytery with two sacristies, and has three chapels on each side; instead of a main tower there is only an Art Nouveau-style sanctuus turret. A small Capuchin monastery stands on the south side.
The church was built in 1908–1911 to mark the 60th anniversary of Emperor Franz Joseph I's reign, hence its name Jubilee Church. It replaced a 1735 Chapel of the Annunciation on the road from Františkov to central Liberec. Builders Albert Hübner and architects Max Kühn and Heinrich Fanta handled the sloping site; Bishop Josef Gross of Litoměřice consecrated it on 11 June 1911.
The church is also called Jubilejní kostel, as its construction was planned in 1908 for the sixtieth anniversary of Emperor Franz Joseph I's reign. The adjoining Capuchin monastery, later used as a kindergarten under socialism, stands on the south side with its garden.
The church is closed and the unfinished reconstruction is preserved in a stabilized state, so visits are not possible; the building can be seen from Jungmannova Street at the boundary of Nové Město and Jeřáb. The adjoining former Capuchin monastery, later a kindergarten, stands on the southern side.
The church has no main tower; instead a small Art Nouveau santus turret crowns the roof. Its sloping site at the foot of Keil's Hill was considered unsuitable for a building of this size, yet builder Albert Hübner and architects Max Kühn and Heinrich Fanta adapted the design to the terrain.
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