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The St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Fayetteville, is not considered to be one of the Painted Churches of Texas, but I must include some of their art here because they have several of the finest religious paintings you will ever see anywhere outside of Europe. They were painted for the original church at this location in the 1870s by Ignaz Johann Berger, a Moravian painter. Here is saving some of the best for last...
"Many Czech and German immigrants settled in this area in the mid-1800s. After many years without the services of a Czech-speaking priest, the Czech community sent Konstantin Chovanec and John Vychopen to ask Galveston Bishop Claude-Marie Dubuis for help. Encouraged by Dubuis, the Czech community organized St. John the Baptist Catholic Church and erected a sanctuary in Fayetteville in 1870. The Rev. Joseph Chromcik arrived on Christmas day in 1872 to minister at St. John Baptist Church and became the first Czech-speaking priest in Texas. The church prospered and in 1875 the Chromcik School was opened. A mission church was established in nearby Warrenton in 1886. Chromcik extended his missionary work throughout the region and remained in Fayetteville until his death in 1910. A new sanctuary was erected in 1911 and a new two-story school built in 1915 during the pastorate of the Rev. John Vanicek. A convent for the Sisters of Divine Providence was built in 1964. A new sanctuary was erected in 1969, and a parish hall, educational center, and other facilities were added over the years. St. John the Baptist Church is representative of the area's Czech heritage and continues a tradition of leadership in the region's Catholic community."
(Source)
If you like these paintings, be sure to visit my website about Baroque Art with its religious paintings.
Mark Headrick's Horology Page
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