Church of Saint James the Greater, Gothic church with Baroque elements in Hostivice, Czech Republic
The Church of Saint James the Greater is a single-nave Roman Catholic church in Hostivice with a Gothic presbytery, a Baroque nave and a massive tower. It stands on Husovo náměstí and is dedicated to Saint James the Greater. The building combines a Gothic core with later Baroque additions.
The church is documented in 1277, the earliest written mention of Hostivice, and Romanesque masonry in its walls suggests an older origin. It fell into ruin during the Thirty Years' War and was restored by Count František Adam Eusebius of Žďár. Anna Maria Franziska of Tuscany carried out another major rebuilding and had the neighbouring presbytery built.
The church is dedicated to Saint James the Greater, and its main altar holds an oil painting of him brought from Zákupy. The two side altars are Baroque works from the Prague Augustinian church of Saint Wenceslas. A 20th-century wooden altar stands in the Gothic presbytery, installed after the Second Vatican Council.
The church sits at the center of the village and is easily reached on foot from nearby streets. Visitors are welcome throughout the week, though it is best to be respectful of any ongoing services.
The Gothic Hostivice Madonna, a wooden statuette, is the church's most important artwork; a copy stands on a pedestal beside the presbytery while the original is kept in storage. Two badly damaged stone tombstones from the former churchyard are set into the boundary wall left of the entrance.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,691 contributors worldwide.