Queen of Peace Catholic Church

Queen of Peace Catholic Church. . , In the 1860s, Czech and Moravian immigrants arrived in Texas and Lavaca County in pursuit of fertile land to farm, with many of the group being devout Catholics. St. Mary's Church in Hallettsville was established in the 1830s and many traveled long distances to attend services. , Catholic citizens of Sweet Home attended nearby churches until 1895, when a dance hall was remodeled to serve as a church named Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Later that year, land was purchased to build a permanent church homes with the old dance hall serving as a mission until 1928. , By 1910, parishioners and the community constructed a wooden church. In the beginning, there was no resident priest, so visiting priests from St. Mary's and other area churches held services. As membership grew, a larger space was needed. A new brick church was built and dedicated in 1919. , The newly-completed church was named Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace Catholic Church and built by V. Falbo and M. Deodati. These two contractors later built Saints Cyril and Methodius Church in Shiner. Both are known as acclaimed painted churches of Texas and listed in The National Register of Historic Places (1984). This church's interior painting consists of well-executed marbling and stenciling combined with freehand painting. , In 1967, a tornado destroyed the original eight-sided spire and severely damaged the church. Extensive repairs were made to bring the church back to life. Today, Queen of Peace Catholic Church remains the center of the Catholic community in Sweet Home.