HISTORIC CENTRAL TX CHURCH DESTROYED

  

An historic Central Texas church has been destroyed by fire.

Flames destroyed The Church of the Visitation in Westphalia, east of Temple.  Smoke could reportedly be seen from five miles away.

The church was founded in the early 1880s and the most current sanctuary was built to withstand strong wins and designed in the shape of a Latin cross.

The building was completed in 1895 and in December 1978 was added a Texas Historical Marker distinction and in May 1996 the church and surrounding land were recognized as a Rural Historic District and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The church’s website lists its congregation as 185 families with 500 parishioners.

The cause of the blaze has not been determined.