kostel Svatého Jakuba Staršího (Stračov) Church

The Church of Saint James the Elder is a parish church on the square in Stračov in the Hradec Králové region. It is the landmark of the village and its illuminated tower can be seen from far around. However, the present building is already the fourth church standing here.

The first church was Romanesque. It is documented in writing from the year 1361. In 1639, during the Thirty Years War, the Swedes burned it down along with the rectory to the ground. The second church was built in 1667 by Václav Záruba. It was simple, made of stone, covered with shingles, had three altars and a high stone tower with three bells. It was destroyed by a fire that struck part of the village in 1830 in strong winds.

The third, neo-Gothic church was built at his own expense in 1844 by Count František Arnošt Harrach. The construction was carried out by Tomáš Stark from Hradec Králové. The front of the church faced south towards the castle, so when the doors were open, the noble family could see directly to the altar from the castle windows. The tall slender tower was reached by 72 stone and 38 wooden steps. Over time, a small tower with a bell and tower clock were added. However, due to poor foundations, the church began to deteriorate from 1891 onwards, and demolition began in 1903.

A new church was built at the same time, moved 15 meters closer to the castle. The foundation stone was blessed on July 10th, 1904. Václav Dyk drew up the plan, František Zvěřina carried out the construction, and Václav Mika was put in charge of the work. The construction was completed in November 1905 with the fastening of a metal cross on the top of the tower. The inventory from the old church was then transferred into the new church: altars, pews, confessionals, pulpit and paintings. Later a venerable stone baptismal font was added and high-quality organs by František Harrach were also used.

The church is neo-Romanesque, probably because the very first one was also Romanesque in style. It makes an impression with its simplicity and balanced proportions. It has thick walls, small grouped windows, doors ending with a semicircular arch and a stepped portal with a relief-decorated tympanum. Pilasters divide the facade, and inside there is a cross vault. The church occupies 512 square meters. It stands on sloping terrain, so the foundation made of sandstone blocks on the north side is only 50 centimeters above ground, whereas at the main entrance on the south side it reaches a height of 2.5 meters. The walls are mostly brick, and apart from the foundation, the doors and windows are also framed with stone.