Painted Churches of Texas - Praha

St. Mary's Catholic Church

The Czech community of Praha dates from 1855 and was named for Prague (the Czech spelling of Prague is Praha).  The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Praha sits atop a hill surrounded by old oak trees and is known for its spectacular painted ceiling.  It is well known on the Painted Churches of Texas tour.

The front façade of the church is white stone and a painted bust of Jesus sits in a niche above the front door.  Legend has it that a keg of beer was offered to the person who could put the cross on the top of the steeple which stood at 130 feet.  A local man took the challenge, and once he had finished the task, did a handstand on top of the cross!

Often called St. Mary’s and built in 1895, the beautiful painted vaulted ceiling was the work of Swiss-born Gottfried Flury from the nearby town of Moulton and has never been retouched.  It is full of trompe l’oeil, tricking the eye to see what appears to be an open air cathedral with elaborately carved stone decoration and faux arches.

Decorative Ceiling

The murals on the tongue and groove ceiling depict golden angels over a pastoral setting and wooden pillars represent Gothic columns.  The murals are painted in art nouveau style popular in the 1890s with vines and ferns.

Pastel Stained Glass Windows

Father Netardus, born in Moravia, became pastor of the church in 1901 and painted several of the scenes himself.  Local artist Gene Mikulik was responsible for the painting restoration of much of the statuary.

The simple pastel stained glass windows feature Catholic emblems and the front gilded white altar with its colorful statuary is flanked by two small white gilded altars, one featuring a pieta of the dying Christ held by his mother.

Gilded Side Altar with Pieta

The adjacent cemetery is the site of the annual Veteran’s Day memorial service.  It contains nine graves that honor Praha youth who fell in World War II, a heavy toll for one sparsely populated rural Texas community.