St. Mary's, Praha, TX
We visited some of the
Painted Churches of Texas
a couple years ago,
and I posted about them, on my garden blog,
Patchwork Garden.
St. Mary's, Praha, TX
We had good friends in town, and knew they'd like seeing these.
St. Mary's, Praha, TX
These are all Catholic churches, built in the late19th and early 20th centuries,
by German and Czech immigrants. All are still in use.
The outsides are like many country churches.
But, the insides are works of art.
These small communities didn't have the means to build their
churches with fancy stone or ornate carvings.
So, they hired artists, to paint them.
St. Mary's, Praha, TX
The altars are ornate, with many statues.
The ceilings and posts are painted to look like fancy woods,
or marble and granite. Many stenciled and freehand paintings.
St. Mary's, Praha, TX
There are beautiful windows...
...with great details.
St. Mary's, Praha, TX
They each have their own cemetery.
Stones that have stood the test of time.
St. Mary's, Praha, TX
Some have stone or brick exteriors, some are wooden.
St. Cyril & Methodius, Dubina, TX
Most are open, and you can go inside.
This one at Dubina was not. We stood at a rail, just inside.
But, I could get a photo.
St. John the Baptist, Ammansville, TX
Our last time here, we didn't visit Ammansville.
And, this time, for some reason I didn't get an exterior photo.
St. John the Baptist, Ammansville, TX
The inside is beautiful.
Soft colors, and brightness.
St. John the Baptist, Ammansville, TX
We were lucky enough to be there, when a tour was going on.
The docent told us that the artist painted 'plain wallpaper', with these stencils,
and installed it on the ceilings and walls.
This is the third church, on this site. The first was destroyed by a
hurricane (this is close to the coast), and the second burned.
St. John the Baptist, Ammansville, TX
St. John the Baptist, Ammansville, TX
Beautiful, detailed statues. Note the little sandal, falling from the foot of
Little Jesus.
St. John the Baptist, Ammansville, TX
A painted relief of the Last Supper, adorns the altar.
Nativity of Mary, High Hill, TX
The Crown Jewel, though, is the church at High Hill.
We made it the grand finale.
Nativity of Mary, High Hill, TX
The painting here is amazing.
The altar is more ornate.
Nativity of Mary, High Hill, TX
53-365-Project 365
The ceiling paintings are detailed,
and, gorgeous.
Nativity of Mary, High Hill, TX
Nativity of Mary, High Hill, TX
Beautiful windows.
Nativity of Mary, High Hill, TX
And, statues.
If you want to see these beautiful churches, make sure to go by the
visitor center in Schulenberg, and get a map and information.
They're scattered around the countryside.
If you want to read about our last trip to the Painted Churches, visit my blog,
Patchwork Garden.(click on the name)
And, there is also information,
here.
It's worth the trip.
***********
Thanks for dropping by...
~~Linda~~
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