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THE CHAPEL OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT
The Chapel where
daily Masses and smaller liturgical services are held at Carmel Mission is named
the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament.
It is the second
structure by that name to be built at the Mission - the first ultimately proving
to be too small for the growing war-time population of the area.
The building
housing the chapel incorporates portions of the original structure of the
Mission Hostel (Guest-Quarters)- the oldest standing masonry structure in the
state of California dating to 1774.
The reconstruction of
this historic building to serve as a daily Mass and private prayer chapel is
due to the generosity of the Late Carl Benzberg of Carmel who donated the funds
in memory of his mother, Ann Sutter, whose remains lay below the sanctuary.
The Chapel was decorated
interiorly by Harry Downie to reflect the earliest epoch in the Mission’s
artistic development when native artisans would have painted the walls under the
direction of the resident Padres who culled their design motifs from textiles,
rugs and geometric shapes found on ordinary household items.
The painted ceiling of
chevron embellished beams and the "diaper-patterned" plank boards are borrowed
from the original décor of the Mission Dolores in San Francisco.
The beautiful altarpiece
is meant to invoke the late-baroque period of Mexican artistic heritage when
this Mission was founded. That period relied heavily on intricate carving and
gilded embellishment to adorn the surfaces of the altars and church
furnishing. Housed in the center of the baroque – style reredos is a thirteenth
century diptych of the Twelve Apostles from Northern Europe. It had been
donated to this mission at the time the Chapel was built and Downie incorporated
it into the Altar-piece.
On the walls of the
Chapel are the Station of the Cross designed by Downie to appear as painted by a
Native California Artisan. They are the work of the noted American Artist, Mark
Adams. In the rear of the chapel is a beautiful reed organ of golden oak that
dates from around the year 1900. It brings to mind that the original organ of
the Mission Church was also a small reed organ of this type.
The chapel is open
for weekday services and Masses (7am, 12 noon and 5:30pm) and it is also available for private prayer and meditation. Its
simple beauty has made it the preferred location of many smaller weddings and
religious services.
by Sir Richard Joseph Menn, G.C. St.G.G.
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