St. Benedict Parish is located on the leeward slopes of the 13,680 feet volcano mountain called Mauna Loa {Long Mountain) in the District of South Kona, Island of Hawaii. The parish is 38 miles in length and goes from the sea up the sparsely populated slopes to the top of the mountain. In December, 1899, Father John Berchmans Velge, the resident priest moved what he could of St. Francis Regis Chapel to upper Honaunau. With additional repairs and additions the old church looked like new. It was blessed in August, 1902, by Bishop Gulstan Ropert, SS.CC., who dedicated it in honor of St. Benedict.

Father John, an excellent teacher and self-taught artist, painted the interior walls of the church with some striking scenes of the Bible which depict various important religious truths. His biblical murals soon became famous, and St. Benedict Church came to be known as "The Painted Church." Designed, constructed and painted as a miniature European Gothic Cathedral by Father John, St. Benedict Church is now considered to be rather unique in the annals of American Art. It has become a major tourist attraction of the Kona coast, and thousands of visitors come to see it every year. It is listed in the Hawaii State Register of Historical Places and th.e National Register of Historical Places.
--- http://www.thepaintedchurch.org/history.asp