The church and ossuary give Letarovice a clear cultural and historical focus, while the pilgrimage and festival offer different occasions to visit. When planning, it is worth considering the building’s history, the date of the traditional St. James pilgrimage and the “Pouť mezi dvěma Jány” festival separately. This will help you decide whether to plan your stay primarily around the sacred buildings or a specific festival.

Church and Late Baroque Ossuary

The pilgrimage church of sv. Jakuba Většího is located in Letarovice. Its coffered ceiling contains 60 scenes from the life of its patron saint, James. The imagery gives the interior a clear religious theme and has a special connection to the church’s dedication. If you are interested in church art, this combination of the building and the scenes from the life of James is a distinctive feature of the place.

The Late Baroque ossuary stands directly beside the church. It is the only ossuary in the Liberecký kraj whose interior was inspired by the ossuary in Sedlec. Two specific themes thus come together: the scenes on the coffered ceiling and the ossuary’s connection to Sedlec. For a cultural and historical trip, they are two distinct points of interest: the church with its James-themed imagery and the ossuary with its regional distinction.

Pilgrimage and Festival

The local pilgrimage tradition was revived in 1990 after an interruption lasting several decades during the socialist era. The traditional St. James pilgrimage takes place on the last Sunday in July. If you are travelling for the pilgrimage, check the date for the year in question. This will let you plan your trip around the recurring event without overlooking the specific arrangements for that year.

The “Pouť mezi dvěma Jány” festival, held in Letarovice since 2011, is a separate occasion. During its procession, the route leads to four altars along forest paths around the village. During the pilgrimage, stalls on the village green offer gingerbread and baskets for sale. The festival traditions thus include both a procession route and something visitors can find at the site.

For 2026, the festival was scheduled to take place in Letarovice on June 6, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. If you are planning a later trip around the festival, check the date for the relevant year. The specific June date and times apply to this edition.

Walking Routes and Directions

Visitors can reach Letarovice from Český Dub on a blue-marked trail in about 40 minutes on foot. The pilgrimage route from Kryštofovo Údolí to Letarovice, by contrast, is about 23.5 km long and is part of the organized pilgrimage walk. The figures answer different planning questions: the first gives an approximate walking time from Český Dub, while the second gives the length of the pilgrimage walk. So first choose the starting point and activity that suit your trip, rather than comparing the two figures as equivalent route measurements. Conditions on the pilgrimage route may vary; check them before setting out.

Discover more destinations: Albrechtice U Frýdlantu, Horení Paseky, Prosec Pod Jestedem, Osecna, Reichenberg, Krásný Les, Bulovka, Dětřichov

For the broader travel overview: Okres Liberec.