Among Abilene’s large mid-twentieth-century churches, Sacred Heart stands out for its design, rich in Moorish details. San Antonio–based Dielmann was fluent in many styles, which he often executed in an idiosyncratic manner. Sacred Heart is singular in his body of work for its decorative tile work and stone ornament (described in the Abilene Reporter at the time of the church’s completion as “a combination of Spanish and Oriental architecture”). The dominant four-stage corner tower uses a progression of horseshoe arches, a bell chamber, stepped moldings, and a dome to make the small church seem much larger in scale. Beside the tower, the flat, stepped nave facade is set with richly colored tiles in red, blue, and gold, and an eight-lobed decorative feature in place of a rose window.
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Sacred Heart Catholic Church
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