In Jihlava, a two-year renovation of the roof of St. James' Church has begun

photo: Suchac.fa.da2, Wikimedia Commons

Jihlava - In Jihlava, two-year repairs of the roof of St. James' Church have begun. Workers have already dismantled the first section of roofing over the Gothic truss. They will gradually repair the damaged wooden parts and replace them with new glazed roof tiles. The work will be completed in April 2019, said Norbert Dostál from the Royal Canonry of Premonstratensians in Strahov, which manages this national cultural monument in Jihlava.

The majority of the truss dates back to 1539. "It is very valuable. It is an amazing carpentry work, both structurally and artisanally," Dostál stated. The truss is damaged by rot in some places, and previous repairs have also harmed it. Specialized interventions will now be carried out to restore the truss to its original condition as much as possible.

It involves extensive spaces. The footprint of the church is 1,501 square meters, and the truss from the supporting beam to the ridge of the roof measures nearly 20 meters. The repairs, worth 26.8 million crowns, are being carried out by the Báča company, which began this month. Workers first removed the roofing from the back of the church, above the chancel. They will gradually uncover only part of the roof at a time.

In addition to carpentry work, the roofing will be replaced as well. The current fired tiles from 1904 will be replaced with similar glazed roofing. The appearance of the roof will not change for passersby. The new roofing will have a lifespan of up to 150 years, but the truss is expected to last at least 300 years, Dostál noted.

The church remains accessible, but the tower with the viewing platform is closed during the repairs. After the completion of this project subsidized by the European IROP program, the public will also be able to see the repaired truss. "There will be safe walkways with railings, and it will be illuminated," Dostál stated.

The church, dedicated to the patron saint of miners, St. James, was consecrated in 1257. It was burned down during a great fire in the city in 1523, and repairs lasted 40 years. The temple has been a national cultural monument since 2008.