St. Mary's Catholic Church (Fredericksburg, Texas) Explained

St. Mary's Catholic Church

Denomination:

Roman Catholic

Diocese:

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio

Status:

Parish church

Functional Status:

Active

Architect:

Leo M.J. Dielmann

Style:

Gothic Revival

Years Built:

Dedicated Date:

1906

Location:

306 W. San Antonio St.
Fredericksburg, Texas

Coordinates:

30.2769°N -98.8764°W

Pushpin Map:

Texas#USA

Pushpin Label Position:

right

Relief:

yes

Website:

http://church.stmarysfbg.com/

Embedded:

Nocat:	1
Embed:	yes
St. Mary's Catholic Church
Nrhp Type:	cp
Builder:	Jacob Wagner
Added:	June 21, 1983
Designated Nrhp Type:	October 14, 1970
Area:	less than one acre
Refnum:	83003143
Partof Refnum:	70000749
Designated Other1:	Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Designated Other1 Date:	1995
Designated Other1 Number:	14697
Designated Other1 Num Position:	bottom

St. Mary's Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic church at 306 W. San Antonio in Fredericksburg, Texas.

History

Old St. Mary's

The first Catholic church in Fredericksburg was a log house built in 1848.^[1] In 1861 it was replaced by a stone building, completed in 1863.^[2] Now called Old St. Mary's, since 1906 this building has served several purposes, including as a schoolhouse.^[3] Its place in the history of German immigration to Texas lead it to be listed as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1994.^[3]

St. Mary's today

By 1901 the church building was too small for the congregation.^[4] A new church was designed by San Antonio architect Leo M.J. Dielmann^[4] ^[5] and built by contractor Jacob Wagner in 1906.^[1] The current St. Mary's contains many Gothic features such as buttresses, trefoil motifs, and a corner tower rising high above the roofline.^[2] ^[4] The interior contains extensive painting and murals, including on the organ pipes and ceiling vaults,^[2] leading to its inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places as a painted church. It is also part of the National Register's Fredericksburg Historic District,^[2] and a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark.^[4]

The current campus also includes Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church at 302 East College Street. Originally opened in 1919, it was closed in the 1940s, then reopened as a mission of St. Mary's for Spanish speakers in 1983.^[6]

External links

Official site

Notes and References

Web site: Knopp. Kenn. A Short History of New St. Mary's Church. The Painted Churches of Texas: Echoes of the Homeland. Sacred Ground. 2013-11-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20130213193726/http://www.klru.org/paintedchurches/fredericksburg.html. 2013-02-13. dead.
Web site: [ftp://ftp.thc.state.tx.us/nr_program/Painted%20Churches%20MPS.pdf Churches in Texas with Decorative Interior Painting – National Register of Historic Places Thematic Nomination ]. 1983 . Kennedy . Carol . Flory Butler . Linda . McCann . Marianne . 30–32 . . 2013-11-08 .
Web site: Old St. Mary's Church (Die Alte Kirche) . Texas Historic Sites Atlas . Texas Historical Commission . 2013-11-08.
Web site: St. Mary's Catholic Church . Texas Historic Sites Atlas . Texas Historical Commission . 2013-11-08.
Web site: A Guide to the Leo M. J. Dielmann Papers, Drawings, and Photographs, 1847-1961. Daughters of the Republic of Texas. 2013-11-08.
Web site: Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church . St. Mary's Catholic Church (official website) . 2013-11-08 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131111063832/http://church.stmarysfbg.com/about-stmarys/olg.cfm . 2013-11-11 .