Painted Churches of Schulenburg, Part 1 ~ Praha

Schulenburg, Texas, sits about midway between San Antonio and Houston. And, while it is the home of the Stanzel Model Aircraft Museum and the Texas Polka Music Museum, Schulenburg and the surrounding rural communities are probably best known as the official home of the Painted Churches.

There are six Painted Churches in the area. The four churches, located in the communities of Dubina, High Hill, Ammannsville and Praha are open to the public, while the two in Moravia and St. John are only open for guided tours. If you choose to visit the Painted Churches, keep in mind that they are all active parishes and conduct services on Saturday evening and on Sunday and Catholic Holy Days, as well as the occasional wedding. Let's start in Praha...

The small community of Praha, eight miles west of Schulenburg, was settled by Czech-Moravian families in 1854. St. Mary's Parish was established in 1855, and the current church building was constructed in 1895. Like the rest of the Painted Churches, St. Mary's looks fairly unassuming on the outside. But, walk through those doors and you'll understand where the name Painted Church comes from.

That beautiful ceiling was painted by a famous Swiss artist and remains original to this date.

I hope that you enjoyed this introduction to Schulenburg's Painted Churches. In the future, I'll try to share some images of the other three open churches. Until then, pray, and go to church!