Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church
Ammannsville, Texas
One of the central Texas Painted Churches
See information below the photos
Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church
Ammannsville, Texas
One of the Painted Churches
Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church was founded in 1890 as a mission of the larger parish in nearby Bluff. It was destroyed by a storm in 1909 and rebuilt, and was destroyed again by fire in 1917, The current church was completed in 1919 and dedicated in December of that year.
Much of the decorative painting of the interior is believed to have been done by Fred Donecker, a noted artist who also worked on several other painted churches in the area.
Ammannsville was founded in the 1870s by German and Czech immigrants. It flourished briefly, but began to decline in the mid-20th century. Today the town is virtually a ghost town, but the church is still active, carefully maintained, and a center of community life in Fayette County.
The painted churches were built by German, Czech, Wendish, Polish, and other central European immigrants in the period from about 1870 to 1930. They are all notable for the lavish painted decoration of their interiors. Some suggest that these churches were meant to recall the great churches left behind in Europe by immigrants to Texas.
Photos: Mike Gross March 2019
location: 7745 Mensik Rd, La Grange, TX (USPS address)
directions: on FM 957 near the junction of FM 227, between Moravia and Schulenburg
coordinates: 29.786846300,-96.858385800