church

Yesterday we spent a sunny day in Central Texas visiting the historic churches near Schlenburg.

When Czech and German immigrants came to Texas in the 1800s, many settled in the central part of the state and named their towns after the places they'd left - 

Praha, Schlenburg, Dubina, Fredericksburg.

In an effort to make their new churches feel more like the ancient Gothic structures of homeland, these early settlers painted the walls, altars and arches of their simple wooden sanctuaries in colorful patterns and tromp l'oeil images. These buildings came to be known as the Painted Churches of Texas.

We viewed four churches in all. They were absolutely beautiful.

Tomorrow we head back north an hour for a couple of weeks. 

We are hoping to see the bluebonnets blooming before we leave Texas.

~b