St. Benedict's Catholic Church (Honaunau, Hawaii)

Significant dates

St. Benedict's Catholic Church
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Hawai`i Register of Historic Places

Saint Benedict's Catholic Church

Location	Honaunau, Hawaii
Coordinates	19°26′6.252″N 155°53′17.952″W / 19.43507000°N 155.88832000°W / 19.43507000; -155.88832000Coordinates: 19°26′6.252″N 155°53′17.952″W / 19.43507000°N 155.88832000°W / 19.43507000; -155.88832000
Built	1899
Architect	Velghe, Fr. John Berchmans
Architectural style	Gothic
NRHP reference No.	79000753^[1]
HRHP No.	10 47 7230^[2]
Added to NRHP	May 31, 1979
Designated HRHP	March 27, 1979

Interior of the church, showing frescoes

Saint Benedict's Catholic Church (also called simply The Painted Church^[1]) is a parish of the Roman Catholic Church in Honaunau, Hawaii. It was built between 1899 and 1902 under the direction of the Belgian Catholic missionary Father , who then painted frescoes along the interior ceiling and walls. An untrained folk-artist, Fr. Velghe depicted various biblical scenes, such as Cain's murder of Abel, Jesus refusing the Devil, and the writing on the wall, as well as a vivid illustration of sinners in Hell.^[3] While the building itself is small and rectangular, Fr. Velghe painted Gothic vaults above the altar, creating the illusion of a European Gothic cathedral, inspired particularly by Burgos Cathedral.^[1] Several other priests learned from Velghe and went on to establish other 'painted churches', including Star of the Sea Painted Church, painted by Father .^[4]

St. Benedict's continues to be an active Roman Catholic church in the Diocese of Honolulu, vicariate of West Hawaii, holding five masses per week.^[5] It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is open to the public for viewing seven days a week.

Monument at St. Benedict's Catholic Church in Honaunau (Hawaii)

A monument for Father Damien stands in front of the church and is often decorated with Leis.

Frescoes[]

Eve, Cain and Abel
Temptation of Christ
Detail of Palm Tree

References[]

^ ^a ^b ^c "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
^ National and State Register of Historic Places. Hawai'i Department of Land and Natural Resources. 2014-12-05.
^ Williams, Peter (June 27, 2000). Houses of God: Region, Religion, and Architecture in the United States. University Of Illinois Press. p. 284. ISBN 9780252069178.
^ Mulholland, John (June 10, 1970). Hawaii's Religions. Tuttle Publishing. p. 313. ISBN 9781462912537.
^ Saint Benedict Church Parish Details. Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu. Accessed 2015-1-01.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to St. Benedict's Catholic Church (Honaunau, Hawaii).

v t Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu
Ordinaries	Prefect Apostolic of the Sandwich Islands Alexis Bachelot Vicars Apostolic of the Hawaiian Islands Louis Désiré Maigret Herman Koeckemann Gulstan Ropert Libert H. Boeynaems Stephen Alencastre Bishops of Honolulu James Joseph Sweeney John Joseph Scanlan Joseph Anthony Ferrario Francis X. DiLorenzo Clarence Richard Silva
Churches	Cathedrals Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace Co-Cathedral of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus Sacred Heart Church-Punahou Parishes St. Mary Church, Hana Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Hawi St. Joseph Church, Hilo Holy Trinity Church, Honolulu Our Lady of the Mount Church, Honolulu St. Anthony Church, Honolulu St. Augustine by the Sea Church, Honolulu St. Patrick Church, Honolulu Saints Peter and Paul Church, Honolulu St. Michael the Archangel Church, Kailua-Kona Star of the Sea Church, Kalapana St. Ann Church, Kaneohe St. Theresa Church, Kekaha St. Raphael Church, Koloa Our Lady Queen of Angels Church, Kula Holy Ghost Church, Kula Maria Lanakila Catholic Church, Lahaina Immaculate Conception Church, Lihue St. Joseph Church, Makawao Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, Pearl City Resurrection of the Lord Church, Waipahu St. Benedict's Church, Honaunau
Education	Higher Education Chaminade University of Honolulu High schools Damien Memorial School, Honolulu Maryknoll School, Honolulu Sacred Hearts Academy, Honolulu St. Francis School, Honolulu St. Louis School, Honolulu St. Anthony School, Wailuku St. Joseph School, Hilo
Priests	Lane K. Akiona Marc R. Alexander Maximin Alff Abraham Armand St. Damien de Veuster Charles Kekumano Francis A. Marzen Columba Murphy Jules C. E. Riotte Patrick Short John M. Systermans Benedict M. Vierra Arsenius Walsh
Miscellany	Hawaii Catholic Herald Malia O Ka Malu St. Marianne Cope
Hawaii portal Catholicism portal

v t U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Topics	Architectural style categories Contributing property Historic district History of the National Register of Historic Places Keeper of the Register National Park Service Property types
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Lists by insular areas	American Samoa Guam Minor Outlying Islands Northern Mariana Islands Puerto Rico Virgin Islands
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Other areas	District of Columbia Morocco
Related	National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 Historic Preservation Fund List of jails and prisons on the National Register of Historic Places University and college buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places portal Category

v t Christianity in Hawaii
Christian groups in Hawaii	Anglican Communion Church of Hawaiʻi Episcopal Baptist Catholic Church Roman Eastern Latter-day Saints Lutheran New Hope Oriental Orthodox Coptic Orthodox Orthodox
Historic chapels	Church of the Crossroads Haili Hōlualoa Imiola Kaʻahumanu Kawaiahaʻo Lāʻie Makawao Makiki Christian Church Maria Lanakila Mokuʻaikaua Star of the Sea St. Andrew St. Benedict St. Joseph St. Michael the Archangel Waiola Waiʻoli Wānanalua
Missionaries	W. P. Alexander Lorrin Andrews Richard Armstrong Alexis Bachelot Dwight Baldwin Hiram Bingham I Hiram Bingham II Sereno Edwards Bishop Elias Bond Libert H. Boeynaems Ephraim Weston Clark Titus Coan A. S. Cooke Marianne Cope Peter Coudrin Samuel C. Damon Father Damien Sheldon Dibble Daniel Dole Joseph Dutton William Ellis Ursula Emerson J. S. Green P. J. Gulick E. O. Hall Merriman Harris H. R. Hitchcock Charles McEwen Hyde Gerrit P. Judd David Lyman Lorenzo Lyons Louis Maigret John D. Paris W. H. Rice William Richards Thomas Staley Betsey Stockton John M. Systermans Asa Thurston Lucy Goodale Thurston Abner Wilcox Alfred Willis
Native Christians	Abraham Akaka Akaiko Akana Hewahewa William Hoapili Kaʻauwai Edward Kahale Alice Kahokuoluna William Kamau Kapiʻolani James Kekela Keōpūolani Helio Koaʻeloa Joel Hulu Mahoe David Malo Jonatana Napela Henry Opukahaia Puaʻaiki
Related articles	Edict of Toleration French Invasion Laplace affair

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