Church of St. Jacob

One of the significant urban landmarks of Trnava is St. Jacob’s Church. According to custom, after their arrival in Trnava in the 1330s, the Franciscans settled on the edge of the town, close to the city walls, at the place of an old deserted abbey. However, not sooner than 1363 – 1383, they had built their own church and enlarged the monastery. In the 13th and 14th centuries, the monastery belonged to the biggest monasteries of the order within the Kingdom of Hungary. Not only did it host the provincial Franciscan canonry meeting for the whole Kingdom of Hungary, but from 1308 to 1309 it was the seat of the papal legate, Cardinal Gentilis. Because the monastery was the only ceremonial building not damaged by the fire in 1325, in 1327 it became the place of international political negotiations between the King of Hungary, Charles Robert of Anjou, and the Czech King, Jan of Luxembourg, regarding their common protective and trade interests. In 1590, the gothic church was damaged by an earthquake. The damage was such that from 1633 to 1640, a new church was built in its place thanks to the financial support of Cardinal Peter Pázmaň. However, this new building was damaged by destructive fires in 1666 and 1683, so the current appearance of the church is the result of modifications made between 1712 and 1717, which were finished with the construction of the tower. St. Jacob’s Church has a unique position among Trnava churches because it has the highest number of altars. There are 13 of them, and most of them originate from the 18th century. The biggest one is the main altar with the painting of St. Jacob from 1794 by Trnava painter Jozef Zanussi, originally from Salzburg. Part of the church is also the side chapel of St. Anton with an altar from 1698 by J. Wagner, and naturally also a sacristy, originally a medieval building from the 13th century. In 1633, the church was rebuilt and vaulted with an early-baroque arch with stucco decoration. The decoration of the monastery refectory arch, located in its north wing, also originated in this period.

Church of St. Jacob
 

Contact

Church of St. Jacob
Františkánska 1
91701 Trnava

GPS:
N 48.3771695 / E 17.583820100000025

Phone: +421 33 5511211
E-mail: frantiskani.trnava@gmail.com
Webpage: http://trnava.frantiskani.sk/
 
 
 

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