The Painted Church

St. Benedict's Church is listed in the Hawaii State Register of Historic places and the National Register of Historic Places. With the historical significance, St. Benedict's Painted Church is a fascinating place to visit while on the Big Island of Hawaii and is still a vibrant parish. Such local missions are outreach programs to take care of those in need and to provide medical services for the community.

Overlooking the beautiful Kealakekua Bay, St. Benedict's Church is adorned with Biblical impressions translated through the paintings of Father John Berchmans Velghe. He arrived in 1899 and decided to follow the local residents that hadmoved to more fertile ground up the mountain slope. The members of the church dismantled the building and moved it to its present location.

Father Velghhe was a self-taught artist and painted the interior walls of the church with three dimensional drawings that were inspired by the gothic cathedral of Burgos in Spain. His painting of Biblical scenes on the interior of the Church was a very important as a teaching tool at a time when many people couldn't read and write.