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
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]
.jpg)
.jpg)
