Painted Churches of Hawaii’s Big Island: History & Art

A small white historic church with a pointed steeple and cross stands at the end of a straight paved walkway, surrounded by lush tropical plants and a low stone wall. Dark, dramatic clouds fill the sky behind the building, and the year “1853” appears above the entrance. This is St. Benedict’s Painted Church in South Kona, Hawaiʻi.

St. Benedict Painted Church stands bright against a storm‑laden Kona sky, its 1853 façade framed by tropical gardens and a quiet stone wall along the hillside of South Kona.

I am always interested in unique and interesting architecture. The Painted Churches on the Big Island of Hawaii certainly fall into that category. If you are an architecture or art lover or just like to visit churches, I would consider them must-sees. Just be aware that these painted churches don't reveal their secrets on the exterior. You must go inside to discover their beauty!

I have a funny story about that! On one of our visits to St. Benedict's, my husband was out in their fantastic garden, mostly trying hard to stay out of my way. He was enjoying the quiet and the birds when a car hurriedly wheeled into the parking lot. This guy jumped out of the car and loudly proclaimed, "I'm not sure why they call this the Painted Church. It's just white!" Before my husband could tell him to go inside, he was back in his car and had sped away.

St. Benedict Catholic Church

(South Kona)

84-5140 Painted Church Road, Captain Cook, Hawaii

Origins of the Painted Church in South Kona

Catholicism first reached South Kona in 1842, when missionaries established a small church near the shoreline at Hōnaunau. For decades, this coastal location served the local Hawaiian community. By the mid‑1880s, however, most residents had moved upslope onto the flanks of Mauna Loa, where the air was cooler and the soil more fertile. As the population shifted inland, the original church was no longer in the center of community life.

Father Velghe and the Move Uphill

When Father John Berchmans Velghe, a Sacred Hearts priest from Belgium, arrived in 1899, he followed the community up the mountain. Recognizing that the church needed to be closer to its parishioners, he dismantled the original structure, transported it piece by piece, and rebuilt it at its present location in South Kona. During reconstruction, he repaired and refreshed the building so thoroughly that it appeared almost new.

Consecration and New Identity

The newly relocated and restored church was consecrated in 1902 and formally dedicated to Saint Benedict. This marked the beginning of its transformation into the now‑famous Painted Church, which Father Velghe would soon adorn with the murals and trompe‑l’oeil architectural illusions that define its identity today.

Interior of St. Benedict Painted Church with wooden pews facing a small altar decorated with green cloths and flowers. The ceiling is painted with a sky scene of blue tones, palm fronds, and stars, while the walls feature colorful religious murals and faux‑marble arches. Natural light enters through arched windows, illuminating the vivid artwork covering nearly every surface.

The interior of St. Benedict Painted Church glows with Father Velghe’s hand‑painted sky, palm fronds, and Gothic‑inspired arches, surrounding the small sanctuary with vivid folk‑sacred art that fills every surface with color and devotion.

A Self‑Taught Artist with an Extraordinary Vision

Father John Berchmans Velghe, a Belgian Sacred Hearts priest and entirely self‑taught artist, painted the entire interior of St. Benedict Catholic Church using nothing more than ordinary house paint. His work transformed a simple wooden mission church into one of Hawaiʻi’s most remarkable examples of folk‑sacred art.

Inspired by the Gothic Cathedral of Burgos

Velghe modeled the sanctuary after the Gothic Cathedral of Burgos in Spain.

The area surrounding the altar is painted to resemble the soaring Gothic architecture of Burgos, complete with pointed arches and vaulted forms.
At the time, the pointed‑arch vaulted ceiling was considered a major architectural achievement, and Velghe recreated it entirely through paint.

Hawaiian Sky Meets European Gothic

To give the church a distinctly Hawaiian identity, Velghe painted the ceiling with a soft tropical sky and palm fronds, blending European ecclesiastical tradition with the island landscape.

Trompe‑l’Oeil Columns and Symbolism

The vaulted ceiling appears to be supported by six octagonal columns, each painted in trompe‑l’oeil to resemble polished marble.

White painted ribbons wrap around the columns, each bearing one of the mottos from the St. Benedict medal, adding layers of devotional symbolism.

Decorative Panels and Rosettes

Above each window, Velghe added a small painted panel featuring a cruciform rosette, flanked by twisted, five‑fingered fan‑rib shapes.

These decorative elements echo the fan‑ribbed groins found in Gothic cathedrals, once again tying the humble Hawaiian church to its European inspiration.

Large Narrative Murals

Three large, ornate murals line the walls on either side of the church.

These scenes depict stories from the Bible and moments from Catholic religious life, serving both as decoration and as visual instruction for parishioners at a time when literacy was limited.

Father Velghe’s Final Years at St. Benedict

Father John Berchmans Velghe’s extraordinary work inside St. Benedict Catholic Church came to an abrupt halt when his health began to fail. By 1904, illness forced him to return to Belgium, leaving one section of the rear interior unfinished. His departure marked the end of the church’s original painting period, but the murals he completed remain some of the most distinctive examples of Hawaiian folk‑sacred art.

Visiting St. Benedict Today

St. Benedict Catholic Church continues to serve an active parish community. Visitors can attend Mass throughout the week, and the church opens for public viewing on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. These hours allow travelers to experience the painted interior in natural daylight, which highlights the depth of Velghe’s colors and the trompe‑l’oeil architectural details.

Historic Recognition and Preservation

St. Benedict Painted Church is recognized for its cultural and artistic significance on both state and national levels.

Hawaiʻi State Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places

These designations acknowledge the church’s unique blend of European Gothic inspiration, Hawaiian landscape motifs, and the remarkable achievement of a self‑taught artist working with simple materials.

Star of the Sea Church

(Kalapana)

12-4815 Pahoa Kalapana Rd, Pahoa,

Also known as Highway 130, it is between mile markers 19 and 20.

A small pale green wooden church with a steep metal roof stands among lush tropical plants and palm trees under a clear blue sky. A front porch leads to an arched entrance topped with a statue of Jesus and a cross, and arched windows line the sides of the building. Bright greenery and flowering plants surround the church, creating a peaceful tropical setting.

Star of the Sea Painted Church stands in a quiet grove of palms and flowering plants, its pale green façade and simple porch glowing in the warm Kalapana light beneath a clear blue sky.

Origins and Construction

Star of the Sea, often called the Kalapana Painted Church, was built in 1928 by Father Evarist Matthias Gielen, a Belgian Sacred Hearts priest serving as a mission of Sacred Heart Church in Pāhoa, roughly ten miles away. The church was constructed using reclaimed lumber salvaged from older, deteriorating churches in the region. Despite its humble materials and modest pale‑green exterior, the building would soon become one of the most visually striking examples of Hawaiian folk‑sacred art.

A Plain Exterior with a Brilliant Interior

The outside of Star of the Sea is intentionally simple, reflecting the rural mission churches of early 20th‑century Hawaii. Inside, however, every surface bursts with vibrant murals, transforming the small sanctuary into a richly illustrated devotional space. The contrast between the unassuming exterior and the fully painted interior is one of the church’s most memorable qualities.

Father Gielen’s Lantern‑Lit Ceiling

Father Gielen personally painted the detailed murals on the domed ceiling, working at night by the light of an oil lantern. His ceiling scenes blend Catholic iconography with local color and atmosphere, creating a warm, immersive environment for worshipers who, at the time, often relied on visual storytelling to learn scripture.

Interior of Star of the Sea Painted Church with rows of wooden pews facing an altar that holds religious statues. A painted trompe l’oeil backdrop in soft blue tones rises behind the altar, while the ceiling above is covered with Catholic iconography and decorative motifs. Colorful murals and faux‑architectural details line the walls, and arched windows along the sides bring natural light into the small sanctuary.

Star of the Sea Painted Church surrounds its small sanctuary with vivid murals, a trompe‑l’oeil altar backdrop, and a ceiling filled with Catholic iconography, creating an intimate space where folk artistry and island faith meet.

Two Additional Artists Who Shaped the Kalapana Painted Church:

George Heidler’s 1941 Panels

In 1941, artist George Heidler of Athens, Georgia, added a significant layer of artwork to Star of the Sea. He painted the wooden panels, faux columns, and drapery swags along both sides of the church and around the altar. These murals form a narrative cycle illustrating the life and ministry of Father Damien De Veuster, the Sacred Hearts priest who served in Kalapana from 1864 to 1873 before becoming world‑renowned for his later work on Molokaʻi.

Heidler’s panels are stylistically distinct from Father Gielen’s ceiling murals, yet they blend seamlessly into the church’s interior, creating a unified visual story that spans decades of artistic contribution.

Father Damien’s Legacy in the Murals

Although many visitors know him simply as Father Damien, his full name, Joseph De Veuster, is less familiar. After leaving Kalapana, he volunteered to serve the isolated Hansen’s disease settlement at Kalaupapa on the island of Molokaʻi. He spent 16 years ministering to the community, ultimately contracting the disease himself and dying in 1889.

His legacy is deeply woven into Hawaiian history, and Heidler’s murals honor that connection. The Catholic Church canonized him in 2009 as Saint Damien of Molokaʻi, the patron saint of people with leprosy and those cast out or marginalized by society.

Interior of a small painted chapel with rows of wooden pews facing a mural‑covered sanctuary wall. The ceiling and upper walls are filled with colorful Catholic iconography, including angels, saints, and biblical scenes. Arched windows along the sides contain etched glass panels, and an open doorway at the back reveals bright greenery outside. The vivid murals and decorative details create an intimate, richly painted worship space.

The chapel’s walls and ceiling unfold in vivid murals of angels, saints, and biblical scenes, creating an intimate sanctuary where hand‑painted devotion surrounds the wooden pews and soft light filters through etched‑glass windows.

George Lorch’s 1949 Frescoes

In 1949, Father Joseph Avery, then serving the parish, commissioned George Lorch of Hilo to complete the last major cycle of artwork inside Star of the Sea. Lorch painted a series of frescoes within the existing wall panels, expanding the church’s visual storytelling beyond the narrative scenes created by Father Gielen and George Heidler. His work is more explicitly catechetical, designed to teach the core beliefs and practices of the Catholic faith.

Themes in Lorch’s Frescoes

Lorch’s paintings focus on foundational elements of Catholic doctrine, including:

The Seven Sacraments, presented as visual guides to the rites central to Catholic life.
The Holy Virgin Mary, depicted in traditional devotional style.
The Saints, shown as models of faith and intercession.
The Angels, reinforcing the spiritual world that accompanies Catholic teaching.

These frescoes give the church a layered theological depth, turning the small sanctuary into a visual catechism for parishioners who relied heavily on imagery for religious instruction.

Trompe‑l’Oeil Behind the Altar

Lorch also created the trompe‑l’oeil painting behind the altar, adding architectural illusion and symbolic richness to the sanctuary. This work ties together the earlier murals and helps unify the interior into a cohesive artistic program.

Ka Rosario: Teaching the Rosary in Hawaiian

One of Lorch’s most culturally significant contributions is Ka Rosario, a mural that teaches how to pray the rosary. The instructions and prayers are written entirely in Hawaiian, reflecting the church’s commitment to serving its local community in their own language. This piece stands out not only as devotional art but also as a preservation of Hawaiian Catholic heritage.

A painted mural titled “Ka Rosario” features two circular scenes from Christian tradition. The left circle shows the Annunciation, with the angel Gabriel appearing to Mary, and the right circle shows the Visitation, with Mary greeting Elizabeth. Hawaiian text surrounds the images, including prayers and instructions for reciting the rosary. Decorative borders and lettering frame the artwork, which blends Catholic iconography with Hawaiian language.

The “Ka Rosario” mural pairs the Annunciation and Visitation with Hawaiian‑language prayers, blending Catholic devotion and island tradition in a hand‑painted guide to the joyful mysteries.

How This Completes the Church’s Artistic Story

With Lorch’s additions, Star of the Sea became a rare example of a church whose interior was shaped over decades by multiple artists, each contributing a distinct style and purpose. The result is a richly layered environment where:

Father Gielen’s ceiling sets the emotional tone,
Heidler’s panels tell the story of Father Damien, and
Lorch’s frescoes teach the core practices of the faith.

This progression mirrors the church’s own history, humble in structure, but profound in cultural and spiritual meaning.

A Church Built at the Edge of the Sea

Star of the Sea was originally located on the shoreline of Kaimū Black Sand Beach, only about twenty‑five yards from the ocean. Its coastal setting made it a beloved landmark in the Kalapana community, but it also placed the church directly in the path of future volcanic activity from Kīlauea.

The 1990 Emergency Move

When lava from the Puʻu ʻŌʻō eruption advanced toward Kalapana in 1990, the church faced imminent destruction. Community members and volunteers acted quickly, lifting the entire structure and moving it inland to save it from the encroaching flow. Although the relocation succeeded, the church ended up abandoned along the roadside, resting on wooden blocks without a permanent foundation.

Six Years of Exposure

From 1990 to 1996, the church sat in this temporary state.

Weather exposure faded and damaged the murals.
Termites caused structural deterioration.
The lack of a stable site delayed restoration efforts.

These years were some of the most precarious in the church’s history, as the artwork created by Father Gielen, George Heidler, and George Lorch suffered significant decline.

A Permanent Home at Last

In 1996, Star of the Sea finally found a new permanent location inland, away from volcanic danger. However, by this time, the cost of fully repairing the building and restoring the murals had become prohibitively high for the small parish community.

National Recognition and Preservation

To protect what remained, the church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. This designation acknowledged its cultural, artistic, and historical importance, ensuring that the structure would be preserved even if full restoration was not immediately possible.

Visiting Star of the Sea Today

Although the church is no longer an active parish, it remains open to the public daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors can view the surviving murals and appreciate the layered artistic history created over decades by three different artists. The building stands as a testament to community resilience, Hawaiian Catholic heritage, and the ongoing effort to preserve sacred folk art in the face of natural forces.

St. Theresa Church (Mountain View)

181355 Volcano Highway, Mountain View

There is a third painted church on the Big Island. Unfortunately, I only discovered it after I returned to the mainland. Hopefully, I get a chance to visit one day.