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

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

St. Mary's Catholic Church
St. Mary's Catholic Church in 2017
St. Mary's Catholic Church is located in Texas
St. Mary's Catholic Church
St. Mary's Catholic Church
St. Mary's Catholic Church is located in the United States
St. Mary's Catholic Church
St. Mary's Catholic Church
30°16′37″N 98°52′35″W / 30.27694°N 98.87639°W / 30.27694; -98.87639
Location306 W. San Antonio St.
Fredericksburg, Texas
DenominationRoman Catholic
Websitehttp://church.stmarysfbg.com/
History
StatusParish church
Dedicated1906
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)Leo M.J. Dielmann
StyleGothic Revival
Years built1905 (1905)-1906 (1906)
Administration
DioceseRoman Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio
St. Mary's Catholic Church
Arealess than one acre
Built byJacob Wagner
Part ofFredericksburg Historic District (ID70000749[1])
MPSChurches with Decorative Interior Painting TR
NRHP reference No.83003143[1]
RTHL No.14697
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJune 21, 1983
Designated CPOctober 14, 1970
Designated RTHL1995

History edit

 
Old St. Mary's Church (1863) in 2017

Old St. Mary's edit

The first Catholic church in Fredericksburg was a log house built in 1848.[2] In 1861 it was replaced by a stone building, completed in 1863.[3] Now called Old St. Mary's, since 1906 this building has served several purposes, including as a schoolhouse.[4] Its place in the history of German immigration to Texas lead it to be listed as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1994.[4]

St. Mary's today edit

By 1901 the church building was too small for the congregation.[5] A new church was designed by San Antonio architect Leo M.J. Dielmann[5][6] and built by contractor Jacob Wagner in 1906.[2] The current St. Mary's contains many Gothic features such as buttresses, trefoil motifs, and a corner tower rising high above the roofline.[3][5] The interior contains extensive painting and murals, including on the organ pipes and ceiling vaults,[3] 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,[3] and a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark.[5]

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.[7]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Knopp, Kenn. "A Short History of New St. Mary's Church". The Painted Churches of Texas: Echoes of the Homeland. Sacred Ground. Archived from the original on February 13, 2013. Retrieved November 8, 2013.
  3. ^ a b c d Kennedy, Carol; Flory Butler, Linda; McCann, Marianne (1983). "Churches in Texas with Decorative Interior Painting – National Register of Historic Places Thematic Nomination" (pdf). Texas Historical Commission. pp. 30–32. Retrieved November 8, 2013.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ a b "Old St. Mary's Church (Die Alte Kirche)". Texas Historic Sites Atlas. Texas Historical Commission. Retrieved November 8, 2013.
  5. ^ a b c d "St. Mary's Catholic Church". Texas Historic Sites Atlas. Texas Historical Commission. Retrieved November 8, 2013.
  6. ^ "A Guide to the Leo M. J. Dielmann Papers, Drawings, and Photographs, 1847-1961". Daughters of the Republic of Texas. Retrieved November 8, 2013.
  7. ^ "Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church". St. Mary's Catholic Church (official website). Archived from the original on November 11, 2013. Retrieved November 8, 2013.

External links edit