Kostel svatého Jakuba apoštola (Čížkovice) Church

The Church of St. James the Apostle in Čežkovice is located on a village near the Chížkovice chateau and since 1360 it is an important sacral place for the local community. The original Gothic building at this place lasted more than 300 years before a new building replaced it in the last quarter of the 17th century. In 1672- 1675 (perhaps up to 1707) a Baroque church was established, the builder of which was supposed to be Giulio Broggi. The church is today protected as a cultural monument of the Czech Republic.

The construction clearly shows the architectural thinking of his time. It is a one-boat church with a rectangular plan and a characteristic five-sided presbytery supplemented by sacristy and chapel on the sides. The main facade is storey, with pilasters on both floors and triangular shield. The dominant element is the Cartouche portal, which includes the alliance of noble families of Varrensbach and Šlik - traces of patronage, which was part of the life of the then society. The side walls are decorated with a typical baroque lizene frame, which divides the facade into a field finished by segment windows. There's a sanctiser running out of the presbytery.

The interior surprises the rich geometry of the vaults. The presbytery and the ship are glazed with a vaulted arch with contiguous lunnets, which creates an elegant and prospt-ish impression. They are supported by massive columns with decorated volute headers. The brick circle is encircled by a belt of rolled arches. This sophisticated design raises the hall space above the normal solution of its time.

Church equipment is a value in itself. The main altar comes directly from the period of construction and is an early Baroque solution with paintings of St. James and St. Rosalie. Tabernákl was later supplemented in rococo style. On the sides of the altar stands a statue depicting the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. The next altars are the Baroque altar of the Virgin Mary from the beginning of the 18th century and the Rococo altar of the Holy Family from the middle of the 18th century. A particularly intriguing painting from the late 17th century depicting the Holy One James blessing the donors with a model of the church itself - a rare proof of the original idea of its builders. The pulpit and confessional from the 17th and early 18th centuries are among the most valuable mobiliaries. The early Baroque bench was preserved here from the 17th century as well. The baptism is stone with wooden lid.

There is a Baroque stone bell of prismatic shape, complemented by 18-century statues of St. Wenceslas, St. Anthony of Paduan, St. John of Nepomuk and St. Judy of Tadeas. These quiet guards add character and historical continuity to the square. Thus, the church and its surroundings create a harmonious composition that reveals the life and faith of the local community during the period when the Baroque determined the appearance of the Czech landscape.