The first church on the list of the Texas Historical Commission’s list of painted churches is the Guardian Angel Catholic Church in Wallis, Texas. Luckily, it’s only a 30-45 minute drive from the southwestern part of Houston where my husband and I live. So, we packed a few snacks and our camera, typed the address into our GPS, and were off!
One thing that I have to say to promote this church is that it is VERY easy to find! It’s located right off of Highway 36 on Demel Street, and there is a sign from the highway that lets you know that, yes, the little white church off the side of the road is, in fact, Guardian Angel Catholic Church.
Like most of the Painted Churches, Guardian Angel is an unassuming white wood building in the shape of a rectangle with a bell tower. Here is the view you’ll see from the road:
After entering the parking lot, you go around the side to the front of the church.
Here is what is waiting for you on the inside:
We had fun snapping pictures of all the artistic techniques and Catholic icons. Here are a few of my favorites:
Can you believe that's not real marble?
From Top to Bottom: The Greek letter for Alpha, the All-Seeing Eye, and the names of the Czech donors.
I’ll post some more pictures later! In the meantime, you can read about “Tropme l’oiel” (“fool the eye”) effects here.*
*I’ll eventually move that post to this site!
