"Wooden Magnificence:The Catholic Church in Schoenchen, Russia"

by Michael Boss
Oil on Linen
32” X 20”

From the collection of Linda Tate, Cincinnati, Ohio 

Schoenchen, Russia was first established in 1767, about ten miles north of Ober-Monjou.  However, the land was not well suited for agriculture.  By 1770, the colonists moved their village upriver about 40 miles from Saratov.  Neighboring villages were Gattung and Wittman.  Agrarian practices were much better in the new area. 

The two neighboring colonies survived, but Schoenchen did not.  All that remains of the town today are two gravestones.