St. Mary's Church of the Assumption (Praha, Texas) explained

St. Mary's Church of the Assumption
Coordinates:	29.6697°N -97.0667°W
Locmap Relief:	yes
Architect:	O. Kramer
Added:	June 21, 1983
Area:	less than one acre
Mpsub:	Churches with Decorative Interior Painting TR
Refnum:	83003138

St. Mary's Church of the Assumption is a historic church on FM 1295 in Praha, Texas.

It was built in 1895 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.^[1] Gottfried Flury, a Swiss-born artist from Moulton, TX, painted much of the interior.^[2] Using a combination of stenciling, infill painting, and freehand techniques, Flury's trompe-l'œil designs mimic stone vaults and Gothic tracery reminiscent of central European models.^[3] The ornate polychrome interior of St. Mary's Church of the Assumption is typical of the so-called "Painted Churches of Texas" constructed by immigrants who settled in the region in the nineteenth century.

Plan

The church has a rectangular plan consisting of a five-bay nave with side aisles terminated by a polygonal apse.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Fayette County, Texas

Further reading

• Baker, T. Lindsay. Ghost Towns of Texas. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1991.
• Christensen, Carl J., and Pixie Christensen. Lone Star Steeples: Historic Places of Worship in Texas. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2016.
• Koenig, Jon Todd. Fayette County. Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia Pub, 2011.

Notes and References

1. Web site: National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form: Churches with Decorative Interior Painting TR. 1983. National Park Service.
2. Web site: The Painted Churches of Texas. www.klru.org. 2018-03-24.
3. Book: Harwood, Buie. Decorating Texas : decorative painting in the Lone Star State from the 1850s to the 1950s. 1993. Texas Christian University Press. 9780875651149. Fort Worth. 29. 26930603.