Jakubské Square and the Church of St. Jacob in Brno

Jakubské Square and the Church of St. Jacob in Brno

Visit the extensive and unique ossuary

Until the 18th century, Jakubské Square was a cemetery, which adjoined the Church of St. Jacob. As it reached capacity and beyond due the growth of the city, the burial remains started to be put to rest into the ossuary. 
This three-chamber crypt located right beneath the floor of the Church of St. Jacob was established probably in the 17th century.
The number of skeletal remains here makes the St. Jacob Ossuary the second largest in Europe, right after the catacombs in Paris.  The Church of St. Jacob is 54 metres long and it dates back to the early 13th century. Its monumental tower is 94 metres high. The church is the final resting place of Jean-Louis Raduit De Souches, the leading commander of the defenders of Brno at the time of the Swedish siege of the city during the Thirty Years’ War.