The Church of Saint James the Great was first mentioned in documents, which are dated to 1256, when the previous church, which stood in its place, was burned down. In the same year the construction of the new church began. In 1257 the presbytery was completed, since the main altar of Saint Nicholas was consecrated in the same year. The consecration was carried out by the bishop Bruno von Schauenburg, who also promoted the church to parish. The first priest in the newly ordained church was Stephen, one of the prominent figures in the history of medieval Jihlava. The construction of the church continued in the next decade. Historical photography The completing of the northern (higher) tower of the church is documented at the end of the 13th century. With its height of 63m, its function was also as a watchtower at that time. This tower is used as a lookout tower nowadays. The whole city suffered a great fire in 1353 and this fire apparently damaged the parish church too. The large repairs of the church are dated back to 1373–1379. At that time, a three-aisled nave was completed and topped with a cross-ribbed vault. A spiral staircase on the south side and a floor above the sacristy were built at that same time as well. The southern tower, which had the function of a belfry, was built in the 1430s. An important point in the history of the church was the year 1436, when the Mass was served to the occasion of the proclamation of the Compacts of Basel, during the presence of the Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund. Jihlava was struck by another big fire in 1523, the Church of St. James the Great, including both towers, was heavily damaged too. Subsequent repairs lasted over 40 years. The southern tower began to lean dangerously and to deflect from its axis in 1548. It was necessary to reduce its height to today's 54 meters. A new big bell was hanged and consecrated in 1563 and it was called Zuzana. It is the second largest bell in Moravia until nowadays. The church went through the Baroque style changes in 1702, the chapel of The Mother of Sorrows was added to the northern side of the church, and it was separated from the main nave by the decorated Baroque grid. A general reconstruction of the church was made in a Purist spirit at the end of the 19th century, during which the roof got new covers. Several static supports of the northern tower were carried out by August Wolfholz company in 1922. The interior was modified in 1987, by removing the inappropriate Art Nouveau decoration. The Church of St. James the Great was declared a national cultural monument on April 28, 2008.