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A short pilgrimage to find historic churches
By Janice Law
Contributor
Published November 1, 2009
You can spend thousands traveling to faraway beautiful historic churches, or you can see equally exquisite historic houses of worship in the nearby Texas Hill Country arc.
The 20 now famous Painted Churches of Texas, reverent artistic tributes to the German and Czech immigrants who built and decorated them in the mid-1800s, are symbols of immigrant success in the new world, and visible anchors to their strong religious faith sustaining them in good times and bad.
A long day trip from Houston/Galveston, or a family weekend exploration, the churches’ location, with map and description of each are available on www.klru.org/paintedchurches.
The day I visited the church, it misted rain, enveloping the modest frame structures in a flattering surreal diffused light, increasing the sense of coziness and sanctuary in the personal pilgrimage from the dark clouds and drizzle of gravel parking spaces — to the warmer dry brightness of their magnificent hand-decorated interiors, which seem to exude joy.
Whatever one’s faith, there is the genuine sense of coming home to an affectionate welcome in each of these churches — the feeling that the believers who built and decorated inside these structures, knew “Great Love.”
The day I visited, no church was locked. A mute testament of trust. Quiet, peaceful, serene. Stay awhile. Sit in a pew. Study the artwork. Think profound thoughts. Experience the artwork.
Because there isn’t enough space to describe each of the 20, 15 of which are listed in the National Register of Historic Places, I’ll describe a limited selection.
St. Mary Catholic Church in High Hill was one of my favorites because, in addition to the folksy painted surfaces, the wonderfully creaky wooden stair in the back of the sanctuary leads to a tiny balcony from which three ropes dangle, connecting to three bells to summon worshippers.
I had déjà vu of an early morning in Irkutz, Siberia, a few years ago when we climbed a rickety ladder in the tower of a stately Russian Orthodox Church, which even Joseph Stalin couldn’t destroy, and as the sun rose over the city once infamous for Soviet forced-labor camps, we “helped” the ringer play a Mozart composition on the bells.
Researching the recurrent symbology before you visit Texas painted churches increases your appreciation and understanding of what you are seeing. Look for these painted symbols in each church: the all-seeing eye of God; INS, an abbreviation for Jesus; the descending dove in radiant light, a symbol of the Holy Spirit and God’s grace; a Maltese cross, with eight points representing Jesus’ sermon on the mount; and a lamb, a symbol for Jesus, with a staff representing a cross.
St. Mary’s Church in the tiny community of Praha, is another favorite. Wonderful in its simplicity; it is I think, the home parish of the late Bishop John Morkovsky of the Galveston-Houston Archdiocese. Saints Cyril and Methodius in Dubina well deserves the accolade “the grandest Lady of them all.”
If you lack transportation, health or finances for the trip, go online where several sites offer video tours. But nothing compares to the real McCoy.
So, see Texas churches first. It’s an inspiration.
Have a travel question? E-mail janice.law(at)galvnews.com.
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