Kostel svatého Jiljí (Pardubičky) Church

Holy Church Jilji is located in the city area Pardubičky and is among the oldest and most important sacral monuments of the region. Since 1964 it has been protected as a cultural monument of the Czech Republic. It is dedicated to St. Eli, Abbot and the hermit who was among the great saints of medieval Europe.

The first mention of the church dates back to 1295 from the Bula of Pope Boniface VIII - probably only a wooden object at the time. A cemetery was set up around him, which still persists today. At the end of the 13th century, this area became a key place for Pardubice church administration. Ernest I. of Hostyn, a Pardubice lord, donated a part of Pardubice to the order of the Cyriak, where a monastery was built for ten order brothers and a new church of St. Bartholomew. The original Elite Church became a chapel. Ernest made sure that the monks served two mass daily for his soul and the soul of his ancestors. The area around the monastery was known as Pardubice Munich and this designation probably lasted for its existence. Ernest was buried here in 1342.

The 1421 Hussite storms left a deep mark. The monastery with both churches was burned and damaged when the Hussites launched extensive destruction of church property throughout the Czech Republic. The recovery lasted long - between 1421 and 1512. The present church of St. Jilje was founded in Gothic style at the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries. The Hussite destruction was remembered for generations - there was an iron glove hanging over the north entrance, later transferred to the sacristy, and around 1860 there was also a Hussite helmet.

During the 16th and 17th centuries the church gradually changed. In the first period of the 16th century roof roofs and western shield were added. In the second half of the 17th century, a western and northern hall was added; The north hall was later torn down, while the west hall was adjusted several times. Major changes were made between 1904 and 1905, when the general restaurant was under the direction of architect Boží Dvořák. It was adjusted to the west hall, increased by a floor and equipped with a high shield with a saddle roof. It was in 1904 that the original Gothic wall paintings appeared.

Holy Church Jilji is a Gothic one-ship construction with a vaulted presbytery with five sides and a square sacristy. The main facade is dedicated to a distinctive Renaissance shield with a characteristic arc finish called "swallows' tails" - a typical element of the Czech late Renaissance. The embossed sculpture of Christ holding the chalice, created in 1905 by Vilém Amort, is placed in the centre. Under the shield is a neo-gothic portal with a concession profile. The church stands in the middle of the cemetery, which probably copies the original fence of the settlement. The wooden bell tower was preserved west of him.

The church was closed in 1948. Since 1964 it has been declared a landmark again and gradually repaired. After the fall of communism, he suffered several burglaries. The latest serious modifications took place between 2007 and 2008 and included repair of wiring, ventilation and other professional internal work. There were also new stained glass windows designed by Master Louis Kolk of Brno and produced by the Brno company Mitvalský.