Our Hawaiian Vacation: First Stop of Afternoon Trip Along Southern Kona Coast
On the afternoon of our eighth day in Hawaii (May 24), John and Dorothy took us to the little village of Honaunau along the southern Kona Coast. While in Honaunau, we visited the St. Benedict Roman Catholic Church and the Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park. Today’s blog post provides details and photographs of the St. Benedict Roman Catholic Church.
St. Benedict’s Catholic Church, or as it is commonly called “the Painted Church”, is one of the most beautiful churches I have ever seen.
The exterior of the church is noted for the belfry and the lattice work entry.
Close-up picture of belfry
This is Father Damien De Veuster.
Father Damien won recognition for his ministry to people with leprosy.
Church cemetery
view from front door of church
The Painted Church was built in 1899 by Father John Velghe.
Father Velghe painted the interior of the church.
He had no professional training as an artist.
Note the detail of the vaulted ceiling, as well as the supporting columns. The columns are octagonal and set on square pedestals. They are painted in such a way to resemble marble. Each column is encircled with a painted white ribbon on which are written the mottoes, in Hawaiian, of St. Benedict’s medal.
The side walls contain six paintings.
This painting was entitled “Hell”.
This painting was entitled
“Symbolic of a good Death Rays of Hope shining in the Dark Cell”.
This painting was entitled
“Cain and Abel (and Eve trying to revive him)”.
This painting was entitled
“Appearance of the Cross to St. Francis”.
This painting was entitled
“Temptation of Jesus”.
This painting was entitled
“The Handwriting on the Wall”.
If you would like to read more about the Painted Church, you may do so by clicking here.
My next blog post about our Hawaiian vacation will provide details and photographs of our visit to the Place of Refuge.
17 Responses to “Our Hawaiian Vacation: First Stop of Afternoon Trip Along Southern Kona Coast”
Linda: Certainly enjoyed your trip through the church.
very nice small ornamented church with beautiful paintings indside, I specially like the painting on the roofthanks for showing and I am looking forward for more photos from your trip
Oh how neat…. Love the painted church (both inside and outside)… It reminded me of the Painted Churches we visited when I lived in Texas. There's a set of about 6 Painted Catholic Churches between Houston and San Antonio–that look very similar to the one you have here. Thanks for the memories!!!Hugs,Betsy
Wow – what an amazing ornamental church. Love that steeple!
What a beautiful little church and the painting and paintings are amazing. Thanks for sharing.
Wow what a beautiful church. He was so talented to paint that without any formal training! Thank you so much for your awesome compliment on my bubble pictures! That meant a lot to me as it came from you, such an amazing photographer!
The church is certainly beautiful especially against that sky! I love the art work, too.
Excellent photos Linda. The details in the clouds and sky have come out well. I never get such details with my E-510.Ram
Those are pretty!
You certainly gained a lot from your holiday without giving the impression of rushing – great skill. Love the geckos in your previous post!
I sat here stunned, looking at these photos. So inspiring.
What abeautiful church, Linda! I love the inside and the outside. The paintings on the ceiling and walls are just amazing. Wonderful photos!
Oh, my. That place is gorgeous!
hi there,I wish I could be in Hawaii too – instead of dealing with our east coast heat. These church photos are really interesting. The top ones are great – I love the ominous sky. The paintings inside are so interesting – I guess it's fitting that a church in a tropical clime would show such tropical art.
Linda, I love this post! What an amazing church. Thanks for sharing it! Jean
What a sweet, sweet church and the spire on top is lovely. I've never been to Hawaii but it's on my bucket list of things to do.Di
The church is beautiful. The residences of the island must be very proud of this part of their heritage.