Today, I'm wrapping up my series on the Painted Churches of Schulenburg, Texas. So far, we've toured Praha, Dubina, and Ammannsville. For the final installment in the series, we're moving on to the community of High Hill, and Saint Mary's Catholic Church.
Saint Mary's Catholic Church is located in the community of High Hill. Besides beautiful painting, which you'll see in a moment, the church features stunning stained-glass art, such as in the image above. We see a humble, Blessed Virgin Mary in The Annunciation, when the Angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will be the Mother of God, the creature giving birth to her Creator. Standing in juxtaposition is a statue of Mary as Our Lady of Sorrows, holding the lifeless body of her crucified Son.
The settlers of High Hill embarked from Germany and Austria in the mid-1800's, seeking religious freedom. Arriving in Galveston, Texas, and moving inland, they settled in area called Blum Hill, about midway between Dubina and Praha. The community now known as High Hill got its name in 1858 when the settlements of Blum Hill, Oldenburg and Wursten combined. The name High Hill was meant to evoke images of the mountains they had left behind in Europe.
The first Catholic mass at High Hill was celebrated in 1861 in the home of Andreas Billimek, and the original St. Mary's church was constructed in 1869. Most of the settlers were cotton farmers. Besides a cottonseed oil mill, the first to operate successfully in Texas and in the United States, the village included a saw mill, a brewery, several blacksmiths and a dozen stores. The residents didn't want a railroad running through the town, but High Hill was a stagecoach stop, and offered a hotel, a dance hall, and three saloons for travelers and residents.
In 1876, the original church building became a school, and a new church was constructed, featuring stained-glass windows donated by parishioners.
Those beautiful stained-glass windows were moved and reused when a new, larger church was built in 1906. The church was painted in 1912, and is now known as the Queen of the Painted Churches.
Those beautiful "marble" pillars are actually painted wood. What artistry!
Well, it's time to leave High Hill and conclude this tour of Schulenburg's Painted Churches.
I hope that you enjoyed seeing and learning about Schulenburg's Painted Churches and the settlers that built them. If you're ever in the area, it's definitely worth spending a couple of hours touring the churches. Hopefully someday I'll be able to share the history and images of the other two Painted Churches accessible only by guided tour. Until then, pray daily and go to church!
