Painted Churches

CLICK HERE to read Houston Chronicle article about the Painted Churches.

Many Czech and German settlers came to Texas in the mid-1800s looking for economic opportunity and religious freedom. 

Most of these men and women worked hard to establish themselves and to develop communities similar to their hometowns. A main component of what they wanted to recreate was a strong place to worship. 
 

The painted churches were often the second or third church building these communities erected. The churches embody the aspirations of immigrant communities that had reached a certain maturity. 

The churches became a symbol of success for these 
new Texans who had survived the transition from the homeland, acquired the much-sought-after land, built schools for their children, and finally, established beautiful churches to nurture their spirits and sustain their faith.

From the outside, they look like many American country churches built around the turn of the last century -- arched Gothic Revival windows, facades clad in white frame siding or in stone, lone steeples rising up into the Texas sky.

Cross the threshold of these particular Texas churches and you'll encounter not a simple wooden interior but an unexpected profusion of color. Nearly every surface is covered with bright painting: exuberant murals radiate from the apse, elaborate foliage trails the walls, wooden columns and baseboards shine like polished marble in shades of green and gray. These are the Painted Churches of Texas.

Built by 19th century immigrants to this rough but promising territory, these churches transport the visitor back to a different era, a different way of life. Inscriptions on the walls read not in English, but in the mother tongue of those who built them: German and Czech. The story of these buildings is the story of a people striving to succeed in a new country and still preserve the values and culture of their homelands.
In 1984, 15 of these churches, with their unique style of art, were listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Once taken for granted, the painted churches of Texas, and the people who built them, are now capturing the interest of designers, historians and ordinary tourists, both in Texas and out of state.