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St. Elizabeth Catholic Church is a large brick basilican
plan Gothic style church near the center of the small bayou
town of Paincourtville. St. Elizabeth is one of the largest
historic buildings in Assumption Parish, and contains the
most elaborate interior decorative paintwork in the parish.
Purely Gothic in origin, St. Elizabeth stands out from other
large Roman Catholic churches of the period, which can best
be described as mixtures of Gothic, Romanesque, Renaissance
and Baroque architectural features.
 St.
Elizabeth Catholic Church-Interior Photograph from the
National Register collection |
The largely Catholic population of southern Louisiana was
instrumental in the construction of numerous, large Catholic
churches throughout this area in the late 19th and early 20th
centuries. St. Elizabeth, built in 1902, was constructed of
brick on a basilica plan with an impressive façade.
The twin towers and the bays are set off by ornamental buttresses
which have inset lancet shaped panels. In the interior, the
vaulting and piers are almost entirely of wood and are covered
with stenciled paintwork that is light and Victorian in character.
Most of the stained glass windows date from 1906 and 1910.
The windows are extremely intricate with painted scenes and
figures, complete with drapery, facial features, architectural
settings, foliage, sky, and elaborate trim. In 1914 the present
decorative paintwork was executed. Much of the painting is
stenciled and has a rather Victorian character except that
the colors are more muted then one would expect in a 19th-century
painting.
St. Elizabeth Catholic Church is located on State Hwy. 1
in Paincourtville. Call 985-369-7398 for further information
about the church, and to see if tours are available.
Information provided by The Louisiana Office of State Parks
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