Say aloha to the ‘painted churches’

Visitors to Hawaii with an interest in art and church history might consider visiting one of the islands’ lesser-known gems: three Catholic churches with exquisitely painted interiors that date from as far back as the mid-19th century. 

All three churches — St. Benedict in Captain Cook, Star of the Sea in Pahoa, and St. Theresa in Mountain View — are to be found on the main island of Hawaii. It’s little more than a 100-mile drive from Captain Cook to Pahoa and another 18 miles to Mountain View, so to visit all three in a single day is reasonable should one set out to do so. 

ST. BENEDICT CHURCH, CAPTAIN COOK 

Saint Benedict Church, situated on the island’s western shore between Kealakekua Bay and Pu’uhonua o Honaunau, is the oldest of the three painted churches. Kealakekua Bay is where the first European explorer to visit the island, Captain James Cook, was killed in 1779, and Pu’uhonua o Honaunau is a national park that was once a refuge for those who were under penalty of death for having broken the kapu, or sacred laws. 

Catholic missionaries first arrived there in the South Kona region in 1842 and established St. Francis Regis Chapel on the shore of Honaunau. At the end of the 19th century, a Sacred Hearts priest from Belgium, Fr. John Berchmans Velghe, arrived, and he renamed and moved the church to its current location. He did this because most of the region’s villagers had moved two miles up the slopes of Mauna Loa, an active volcano and one of five on the island, in search of cooler temperatures and more fertile land.

A self-taught artist, Fr. Velghe painted the choir behind the altar of St. Benedict’s interior to replicate the Gothic Cathedral of Burgos in Spain. His murals in the sanctuary include biblical scenes such as the temptation of Christ, the story of Cain and Abel, and the finger writing on the wall at King Belshazzar’s feast, along with depictions of hell, a “good death,” and much more. The ceiling of the church is themed to the island with palm fronds and sky.

Saint Benedict is a major tourist attraction. Mass is offered five times each week, and the church is open to visitors three days a week. Penny Burgess, a longtime employee of the church, recommends touring with the parish guide, who can point out details otherwise easily missed. In the painting of hell, for example, one of the damned is Queen Kaahumana, a 19th-century Hawaiian ruler who banned Catholic missionaries in 1827 and Catholic worship among islanders in 1830. These bans were rescinded under King Kamehameha II in 1839 after French warships threatened to fire on the island unless religious liberty were restored.

Burgess also noted how the palm fronds Fr. Velghe painted on the ceiling are both alive and dead, with the live ones pointing to the altar and the dead ones to the exit. 

“Father used the paintings as teaching tools because of the language barrier between him and the local population,” she explained. “He was demonstrating that as long as we keep our focus on God, we have life; and if we walk away from him, we’ll experience eternal death.”

The church suffered the effects of termites and humidity over the years, but a 1980s restoration rebuilt walls and the roof while maintaining the integrity of the paintings.

ON THE EASTERN SHORE

Star of the Sea Church in Pahoa is a small, wooden church painted a pale green on the outside but covered with vibrant, colorful murals on its interior. Located on the eastern shore of the island along Highway 130, it was built by another Belgian priest, Fr. Evarist Matthias Gielen, in 1938. Using an oil lantern by night, Fr. Gielen painted its domed ceilings with images of angels, saints, and scenes from Scripture. 

Two other artists painted other portions of the church. George Heidler from Athens, GA, and George Lorch from Hilo, HI, continued adding to the interior. Among their images is the story of St. Damien de Veuster, who served on the Big Island before moving to Molokai to minister to those with leprosy. They also depict more biblical scenes, the stations of the cross, and the sacraments. One image, Ka Rosario, teaches visitors to pray the Rosary with instructions in the Hawaiian language.

The church has been decommissioned but remains open to visitors. Mass is celebrated on first Fridays of each month.

Saint Theresa Church is located in Mountain View along the Volcano Road/Highway 11 between Hilo and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. It too was built by Fr. Gielen in 1936, who painted most of its ceiling and side panels by hand. Its images include the Nativity, the miraculous catch of fish, Jesus’ temptations, the Crucifixion, the parable of the Pharisee and the publican, and Christ’s Second Coming. 

Father Gielen funded the work by asking members of the congregation to sponsor or contribute to each major work. He would paint the images in his Pahoa rectory and then hang them on the walls in St. Theresa.

Church employee Dana Jones noted that St. Theresa also is popular among tourists, particularly those who visit the nearby volcanos. 

There was once a fourth painted church that stood on the Big Island near Kealia, not far from St. Benedict: Maria Lanakila, or Our Lady of Victory Church. Built in 1860, it was destroyed in an earthquake that accompanied a 1950 volcanic eruption. Remnants of its interior artwork can be viewed in the Bishop Museum in Honolulu.