In Jihlava, the repairs of the Church of St. Ignatius will continue, and the painting will also be restored

Jihlava - The renovation of the Baroque Church of St. Ignatius will continue this year in Jihlava. Builders will begin repairing the side facade in spring at one of the landmarks of Masaryk Square. The Roman Catholic parish is investing more than 45 million crowns in the project, which also includes the restoration of the interior artistic painting, including the massive ceiling fresco. This information comes from today's press release on the city hall website. The church already has a repaired roof and façade; these two years of repairs were completed last December.

Visits to the monument will be possible during visiting hours and even during repairs. "We believe that especially the restoration of the ceiling painting and the illusionistic altar will attract both regular and new visitors to the church," said Jitka Klementová, project manager.

The renovation of the church should continue in the coming weeks with repairs to the outer facade of the side of the church facing Hluboká Street. Major work inside is expected to start in the summer or fall, said Barbora Dostálová from the Brno bishopric to ČTK.

The second phase of the church's renovation will last until the end of 2026. It also includes the repair of the southern shed roof. Workers will repair the plaster and floors in the sacristy and on the galleries, replace the electrical installation and part of the lighting in the interior. The most demanding task will be the restoration of the artistic painting, which according to Jihlava's priest Marian Jiří Huska, will also improve the interior of the church.

"The costs of restoration alone will exceed 30 million crowns. During the survey of the current condition of the painting, a small area behind the main altar was cleaned, and the difference is significant," the priest stated.

For the continuation of the church repairs, the parish received 40.8 million crowns from the European grant program IROP. The facade repair was supported by the urban heritage conservation program. Parishioners are also contributing to the repairs.

The Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola is a single-nave building with two towers in the façade. The former Jesuit church was built by the Italian builder Jacopo Brascho between 1683 and 1689. The Jihlava Pieta group from 1400, which is a national cultural monument, is exhibited there. The temple has a regular visiting schedule starting this year, and guided tours are also held there.