![]() Two small cherubs flank a chalice as the focal point of the spandrel, with palm fronds and blossoms (including lilies) painted around them. As is typical, the apse spandrel and the walls of the side altar bear the religious motifs. Stylized floral motifs are stencilled onto the wall in two distinct bands at dado heights. The upper wall is decorated with a large-scale motif that includes circular and interwoven leaf elements set against a diagonal lattice. Simple stenciled borders fill in the structural beams of the ceiling. The rectangular panels of the ceiling are further defined by floral and foliate frameworks skillfully executed in varying shades of pink and blue-green. The painting is executed with a simple color palette, and is dominated by one hue, a warm pink, which is offset by woodwork painted white.Rectangular panels defined with simple wooden dividers emphasize the ceiling's structural form, and the walls are divided into distinct horizontal sections. It incorporates stenciling, infill, freehand, and marbling techniques. Aside from the unique structure of the ceiling, the church contains decorative painting which is more purely ornamental than any of the other churches in the thematic group. ![]() Structurally the ceiling is composed of an unusual combination consisting of a high-pointed vault springing from two lesser, coved vaults. John's is not unusual among the many Gothic Revival churches across the state, its distinct interior is outstanding for several reasons. Today the church is covered with asbestos siding, however, the upper level of the bell tower reveals the original wood siding which is assumed to be intact under the asbestos. The octagonal spire rises dramatically from a profusion of pinnacles and dormers incorporating trefoil motifs and cross-and-trefoil ornaments. Corner buttresses adorn the bell tower, the upper section of which is punctuated with louvered lancet openings and a lancet jigsawn detail applied in a manner that emulates corbeling. The Gothic theme is carried further by steeply pitched ventilation dormers with louvered trefoil openings and ridge ornaments. The walls are pierced with lancet windows occurring both singly and in pairs. Gabled and buttressed pavilions emphasize the side entrances. Prominent corner buttresses project from the front corners with lesser buttresses marking the remaining facades. ![]() ![]() The steeply gabled, rectangular form includes a polygonal apse projecting from its east end, and a soaring spire rising from a tall bell tower marking the central entrance at the west end. John the Baptist Catholic Church, a 1918 statement in wood of the Gothic Revival style in rural Fayette county, stands out as the community's most significant building. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Ammannsville, one of the Painted Churches of Texas. John the Baptist Catholic Church (Ammannsville) ![]()
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