Galveston's 13th annual tour of sacred sites taking place Feb. 9

Ten historic places of worship, a historic cemetery and a meditative labyrinth will be open to visitors Saturday, Feb. 9, for Galveston Historical Foundation's annual Tour of Sacred Places.

The event will begin at 9 a.m. with a talk by Fran Gale on cemetery and monument restoration at St. Joseph's Church, 2202 Ave. K. Gale is a nationally-known scholar and consultant on conservation of architectural materials, and director of the Architectural Conservation Laboratory at the University of Texas School of Architecture. The tour begins at 10 a.m. and runs through 4:30 p.m.

The popular tour benefits GHF's ongoing restoration of St. Joseph's Church, the oldest wooden church building in Galveston and the oldest German Catholic church in Texas. Closed in 1968 by the Houston Galveston Archdiocese, the church is managed by Galveston Historical Foundation and preserved as an ecumenical museum celebrating Galveston's rich religious heritage.

As always, a wide range of religious traditions and building styles will be featured, showcasing the surprising depth and range of sacred architecture that exists in Galveston.

Advance tickets for the tour are $7 ($6 for GHF members) and may be purchased by phone at 409-762-3933, or in person at the Heritage Visitors Center, 2328 Broadway. Pre-reserved group rates are $6 per person for 20 or more tickets. On the day of the tour, tickets may be purchased for $8 at St. Joseph's Church.

The sacred places on the tour include:MOODY MEMORIAL

METHODIST CHURCH

53rd and Ave. U

Founded in 1841, the original chapel was located at 22nd and Church Street. A new building, designed in the International style, derived chiefly from European precedents, was erected in 1962 at the present site.

SAINT AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO EPISCOPAL CHURCH

1410 41st Street

The church was founded in 1884 at the urging of seamen from the West Indies. The original building stood at 22nd and Broadway but was destroyed by the great storm of 1900. A new building was erected in 1902, and moved to the current site in 1940.

SAINT PAUL'S METHODIST

CHURCH

1427 Broadway

St. Paul's grew out of a split in the congregation of Reedy Chapel, the original Methodist church for slaves in Galveston. Established in 1866, the congregation of St. Paul's remains strong, with over 150 members, several of whom are descendants of the original congregation.

SAINT PATRICK ROMAN

CATHOLIC CHURCH

34th and Ave. K

Famous architect Nicholas J. Clayton designed this impressive church. The cornerstone was laid on St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 1872. Clayton, who was known throughout Texas for his church designs, was a member of the parish.

GALVESTON BIBLE

CHURCH

427 19th Street

A simple example of Missionstyle architecture, the building was erected in 1924 as the Salvation Army Chapel. The congregation was originally founded in 1975 as a Believer's Fellowship, a small group of Christians who assembled in a succession of meeting places until 1987 when they purchased the building.

SWEDISH LUTHERAN

CHURCH

18th and Market

Founded in 1882, the church was originally known as the Swedish Lutheran Zion Church of Galveston Texas. This is the first year the church has ever been opened to the public as part of the Sacred Places tour.

URSULINE CHAPEL

2601 Ave. N

The Ursuline presence in Galveston dates back to 1847. This chapel was built in 1964, after tornadoes spawned by Hurricane Carla destroyed the original structures in 1961. The chapel contains relics of an earlier day.

SAINTS CONSTANTINE

AND HELEN SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH

4109 Ave. L

This is the oldest Eastern Orthodox church in Texas and the second oldest Serbian Orthodox church in the United States. In 1933, the Greek Orthodox worshippers separated and formed their own congregation. The church was rededicated in 1951 and in 1962 became an official member of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese in the United States.

GRACE EPISCOPAL

1115 36th Street

Established as a Sunday School Mission of Trinity Episcopal Church in 1874, Grace became a parish in its own right two years later. Parishioners originally worshipped in a small frame building. The present Gothic limestone structure, designed by Nicholas J. Clayton, was erected in 1895.

SACRED HEART

CATHOLIC CHURCH

1302 Broadway

Sacred Heart was first established in 1854 as an educational institution for young men. Parishioners at first worshipped in a temporary frame chapel. The original church building was designed by noted Galveston architect Nicholas J. Clayton and dedicated in 1892. It was destroyed in the 1900 hurricane. The current structure, in Moorish and Gothic style, replaced Clayton's French Romanesque building in 1904. It is the only Roman Catholic church in the United States built in this style. Today's church houses the only five artifacts that could be salvaged from the 1892 building.

ROSEWOOD CEMETERY

63rd Street, off Seawall,

behind Comfort Inn

Rosewood was the first burial ground in Galveston designated exclusively for African- Americans. Founded in 1911, cemetery records indicate there are 411 graves within the 8- acre site, although headstones only exist today for 20. The last known burial was in 1944. THE ROTARY LABYRINTH

& MEDITATION GARDEN,

THE WILLIAM TEMPLE

EPISCOPAL CENTER

427 Market

Built in 2001 and donated by the Rotary Club of Galveston, the stone labyrinth helps provide for the spiritual needs of health care practitioners, students and patients at the University of Texas Medical Branch.

For more information, call (409) 762-3933.