The Painted Churches in Schulenberg TX

The paintings inside a “Painted Church” are something you need

to experience first hand. . .there’s no explaining

the feeling that comes over you as you

stand gazing at the amazing artwork on the ceiling. . .

repeating “wow” over and over.

We spent the day exploring them all with

Rick and Janice, and Ed and Debi. . .

 

however. . .in Schulenberg. . . where German and Polish Bakeries abound,

with fabulous kolaches, we must fuel up before the touring begins. . .

The Kountry Bakery fit the bill perfectly. . .

then on to the Chamber of Commerce Downtown

for a driving map and brochure before the tour begins. . .

with a short drive through town to enjoy the historical homes. . .

note the stained glass windows on the second story,

and though it doesn’t show in the pic

all the first story windows are beautiful leaded glass.

The churches are spread out in various small communities

around Schulenberg. . .with this Historical “Piano Bridge”  built in 1885

(named because of the noise the planks made as they were driven over)

being on the way to our first stop at the church in Dubina. . .
Rick’s truck looks really great sitting up there, doesn’t it?

Here’s the part we didn’t realize. . .

AFTER we had driven OVER  the bridge, parked up ON the bridge to get pics. . .

walked AROUND the bridge exploring it. . .we drove on the the first church,

and discovered this sign. . .isn’t that great. . .glad we saw it afterwards. . .yikes!

The church in Dubina is not open to the public. . .

however, you can go into the vestibule,

and peer through the gates. . .so it wasn’t a total loss.

What we heard as the reason for it being locked

is that some of the statues and paintings

are inlaid with real gold. . . sounds like a plausible explanation.
(not sure of the validity)

this is the church at Freyberg. . .it is not as intricately decorated on the inside. . .

however, it is my favorite. . .it’s what I think of when I picture a country church!

It was a wonderful day, spent with friends,

ending back at Schulenberg for a late lunch

at the Country Smokehouse. . .

We saw several more churches on our tour. . .

I did not take pics of them all, as Dave and I had done this tour before. . .

you can read that story and see those pics here

read Ed’s story and see his pics here

If you’re in the area, you gotta do this tour. . .

Til next time,

Janice and Dave

Painted Churches Tour - Schulenburg TX

The wildflowers were stunningly beautiful, as we traveled from San Antonio to Schulenburg, however, it was impossible to get any great shots while traveling 65 mph down the freeway, so I had to be satisfied with  a shot of this gorgeous pasture just out of Schulenburg, as we traveled from one painted church to the other.

Dave and I discovered painted churches  while on a cruise in Hawaii, and have been fascinated by them since.      

What, you ask, is a painted church?  Well here is a beautiful example.

This artwork was done by a Swiss artist, in 1895, and can be found at the 

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Praha, TX.

I managed to bring my camera, but did not have a flash card in it, so was trying to take pics with our pitiful, little instamatic, so needless to say, my pictures do not do justice to the grandeur of these paintings.

The link above will give you a much better view of how truly beautiful the interior of the church is.  I am amazed that these paintings have never been retouched.  

Just goes to show that some things can last forever.  

This little church in Freyburg was my favorite.  Although it did not have the artist renderings that I normally associate with a painted church, I had a feeling of home as I walked through the door.  I could feel the love from the moment we turned in the driveway.  Everything was just immaculate, and there was that musty smell that only an old building can have.  I wish I had gotten some pictures of the old wooden benches, and railings.

I could sense the feeling of pride this little community must have felt, each Sunday,

 as they gathered in this place of worship.

  It definitely made the history books come alive for me.

  The next time we travel I-10 from Houston to San Antonio, I want to return to this little church. 

 I loved the artist rendering of this church building in Swiss Alp, TX.

As with many historical buildings, there was a lot of modern additions blocking the view of the building, so I just did not get any good pictures, however you can see a beautiful professional portrait here

This community chose to build their church and cemetery in the traditional sense.  They are adjoining on the same grounds.  I would have loved to have spent more time exploring everything, but alas, there were still many more things to see, and places to go.

I am sure that St Mary's Catholic Church at High Hill, TX, was, as advertised, "the Queen of the Painted Churches," however, they were evidently cleaning and doing repairs in preparation for Easter weekend, so scaffolding was up, which prevented us from really being able to enjoy the majesty of the building.  

I did get this one shot from the rear of the building, but you can't really see too many details.  It was very ornate, detailed, and beautiful, and we will return on another trip to take it all in.

When you are traveling between Houston and San Antonio on I-10, you would never dream Schulenburg has so much to offer.  It is really a very interesting little town, with German and Czech history galore, and definitely worth a return visit.

Because we had the RV with us, we stayed at the Schulenburg RV Park, right off the freeway, and very easy to get in and out of.  Although they advertise that you can walk to nine different eating establishments, it did not seem that convenient to me.  We got in late evening, so just walked to the Dairy Queen next door.   The next morning we did drive down to the Kountry Bakery  for kolaches, or as they call them, pigs in a blanket.

We thoroughly enjoyed Schulenburg, and would recommend a day trip from Houston or San Antonio.

We would love to hear from you, so send us an email: EvansEscapades@gmail.com

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