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All the United States Texas Schulenburg Painted Churches of Texas

Painted Churches of Texas

Twenty churches beautifully painted by 19th-century Czech and German immigrants in Texas.

Schulenburg, Texas

Added By
Lew Blank
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Delicate painting   Jerry and Pat Donaho / Some Rights Reserved
Main design at the center of the church   Jerry and Pat Donaho / Some Rights Reserved
Panorama of the church   Jerry and Pat Donaho / Some Rights Reserved
Stained glass and intricate wood carvings   Jerry and Pat Donaho / Some Rights Reserved
Statue of Jesus and Mary   Mike Fisher / Some Rights Reserved
Doors to the church   Mike Fisher / Some Rights Reserved
Church exterior   Mike Fisher / Some Rights Reserved
Another painted church, Saints Cyril and Methodius Church in Dubina, Texas.   Evan Schaaf/Flickr
A cross with inscription in Czech, at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Ammansville, Texas   Mike Fisher/Flickr
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About

Looking at it from the outside, St. Mary's Catholic Church seems like any other century-old small town church. But if you take a step inside, you'll realize that it's starkly different. 

St. Mary's is one of the twenty "Painted Churches" in western Texas, each built in the 19th century by Czech and German immigrants that came to the state in search of land, opportunity and religious freedom. Hoping to preserve their cultural identity, the immigrants built churches in their new communities, intricately decorated in the style of their homelands.

To make the simple wooden structures feel more like the ancient Gothic churches back home, they painted bright, colorful, and intricate patterns all over the walls, ceiling, and altars. The details were hand-painted using stenciling, marbling and other decorative painting techniques, and many of the inscriptions are written in German and Czech. These houses of worship held immense meaning to the settlers, which is evident in the countless hours of time put into making them so incredibly beautiful. 

St. Mary's is considered the most majestic of the churches, dubbed the "Queen of the Painted Churches." It has color exploding at every corner, from the vibrant German-style stained glass to the delicate artistry of the bright murals and ornate designs painted on the wooden walls. St. Mary's is located in High Hill, Texas, once a thriving German and Czech community. The immigrants often named their new towns after the ones they left back home. You can find painted churches in the towns of Praha, Schulenburg, Dubina, and Fredericksburg, Texas.

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Churches Religion Christianity Immigration Sacred Spaces

Know Before You Go

All but one of the churches are still active. If you visit on Sunday, it is easiest to attend a service or wait until after all of them are done. the town is small and easy to miss, and there are limited food choices for day trippers.

Community Contributors

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lewblank

Edited By

onemorechapter, Meg, notoriousFIG, Scott Terrell

  • onemorechapter
  • Meg
  • notoriousFIG
  • Scott Terrell

Published

June 13, 2016

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Sources
  • http://www.texasescapes.com/CentralTexasTownsSouth/HighHillTexas/HighHillTexas.htm
  • http://www.stmary-highhill.com/about.html
  • http://www.klru.org/paintedchurches/
Painted Churches of Texas
St Mary's Catholic Church
Schulenburg, Texas, 78956
United States
29.717426, -96.927652
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Photo of Schulenburg

Schulenburg

Texas

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