Beautiful Places

When I was looking for someplace to stop between San Antonio and Houston, I found Schulenburg, a small town right off I-10. I think what attracted me to it was a mention of the painted churches in the area. Am I ever glad we toured them yesterday. Such beautiful places, art done to honor the God the people have worshiped here for over 150 years!

Only a short drive from the RV park brought us to St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in High Hill. German and Czech immigrants fleeing the Austrian Empire celebrated the religious freedom they found in Texas by building churches with painted interiors designed after European cathedrals.

The ceiling painting was one of the first thing that caught my eye.

The sanctuary is a contrast of light and dark.

The sounding board above the pulpit and the pulpit are distinct in each church.

Next, we visited St. John the Baptist in Ammansville.

There is a totally different feel here.

The white ribs in the ceiling highlight the curves.

Look at the detailed painting and stencil work here.

At Dubina we found St. Cyril and St. Methodius, another stunning worship facility.

Notice the ivy leaves outlining the sanctuary.

Again, the detail in the painting is amazing.

Each of the churches had detailed images of the Stations of the Cross.  Here are 3 stations in the Dubina church.

St. Mary's Church of the Assumption in Praha was the last inspirational painted church we saw.

This is the pulpit and sounding board to project the pastor's voice.

Look at the painting of the Last Supper on the high altar.

Angels hover above the altar.