The first written record of the village dates from 1360. In the period from 1360 to 1395 the village of Želnava belonged amongst those that were subject of the dispute between Zlatá Koruna monastery and Vyšehrad provost house. In 1395, Želnava was returned to the monastery in Zlatá Koruna, which ceded it with appreciation to the King Wenceslas IV. Since 1501, Želnava has been sharing its destiny with the estates of Český Krumlov. The first record of the parish Church of St. James the Apostle (kostel sv. Jakuba staršího, apoštola) comes from 1395. The current appearance of the church originates from 1708-1712, when an extensive reconstruction was carried out under the auspices of the Earl Jan Nepomuk zu Schwarzenberg. The church was consecrated on 19th February 1713 by Sigmund Heubner, the prelate of Český Krumlov. Only the walls in the lower part of the tower come originate from the times before the reconstruction (1688).