Travelogue - St. James' Journey through the Highlands

The Highlands become the scene of a silent but profound pilgrimage inspired by the legacy of St James - the patron saint of pilgrims and miners. The pilgrim passes through the landscape between Jihlava, Telč, Brtnice, Kněžice and other villages where churches dedicated to this apostle stand. Each of the churches carries a different story, a different tone of the times and a different spiritual dimension. The film or travelogue follows the physical journey and the inner transformation of the pilgrim who discovers not only the sacred monuments, but also history, nature and silence.

Place of action

Destination.
Specific places (selected from the itinerary):

• Jihlava - Church of St. James the Greater: a Gothic jewel, site of the promulgation of the Basel Compacts, with its tower and roof as a spiritual and vantage point of the region
• Brtnice: Baroque church with art treasures and the remains of St. Fidelis
• Telč: church with a lookout tower, UNESCO town, where St. James looks down on the statues of the saints by the pond
• Kněžice, Vílanec, Jakubov, Kamenice, Jemnice, Panenská, Stařeč, Naloučany: picturesque village churches in a landscape of forests, fields and hills
• The Mining Educational Trail in Jihlava: combining the motif of St. James as the protector of miners with the history of mining

Characters

• Pilgrim - a contemporary traveller whose motivation may be spiritual, historical or personal
• St. James - a figure who symbolically guides and inspires; in the story he may appear metaphorically, in dreams, statues, symbols
• Parishioners, memorials, artisans, guides - people who keep places alive and convey stories of the past
• Historic Highlands - a character in itself: a landscape that asks questions and gives answers

History and cultural context

The Highlands are exceptional for their density of churches dedicated to St James, which form an imaginary regional 'St James Way'. This pilgrimage tradition is inspired by the ancient routes to Santiago de Compostela, but has its own character - quieter, more intimate, linked to the landscape of the Highlands and its history.

St. James is not only the patron saint of pilgrims, but also of miners, which is strongly connected with the Jihlava tradition of silver mining - that is why Jihlava is the natural centre of this pilgrimage.

Each church has its own artistic, historical and spiritual layer - from Romanesque foundations to Baroque reconstructions, from Gothic sculptures to modern bells. All are living points of memory where today's pilgrim can pause for a moment and search for meaning.

A possible narrative structure (for a film/book/series of articles):

1. Introduction.
2. Step by step: Jihlava, Brtnice, Telč... - a journey through individual churches, alternating conversations, inner reflections, scenes from history
3. Stops and symbols: water, stone, woods, silence - places for reflection
4. Conclusion: acceptance and return - returning home with a transformed inner view

Other possible interesting stories based on legends from historical cities:

The founding of Jihlava
About the rope maker who wrote a letter to the devil
About the rebellion of Jihlava women against men because of the fashion of the time and the creation of the legendary place of the inn U Trucbáby
About the fiery Swede who walks on the castle parkland
(https://www.ceskatelevize.cz/porady/10123499335-zahady-toma-wizarda/313292320070005/)

Jihlava donuts and the great fires of Jihlava
(https://www.ceskatelevize.cz/porady/10123499335-zahady-toma-wizarda/311292320070005/)

From the legends of the Velkomeziříč region:

The castle well

About the White Lady

About the miraculous well

The lake in the Balinese valley

Treasure in Dědkovská hora

About the Merchant Lady

Retrieved from : https://www.turistikavm.cz/o-meste/zajimavosti-z-mesta/povesti

The hidden story of the Emperor's secret love:

https://www.skrytepribehy.cz/trasa/velke-mezirici-cisarova-tajna-laska

https://www.turistikavm.cz/volny-cas/skryte-pribehy