A while ago a friend and I decided to try the Peak to Peak drive from Estes Park to Blackhawk. Obviously, the view was magnificiant, but on the scenic drive we passed a lovely little church seemingly in the middle of nowhere.
We stopped to take a look and were absolutely amazed by what we found. This beautiful little stone church devoted to St. Catherine of Siena by the Archbishop Urban Vehr in 1936, is filled with religious treasures from around the world.
The church itself is built on a large granite rock that sits at the edge of a small lake. It was built in 1935 through the efforts of the founder, Monsignor Joseph Bosetti, who after seeing the rock recalled the words of Matthew 16:18 Jesus’ words to Peter, “upon this rock, I will build my church.”
Walking into this church felt as if we were stepping into another time. The alter consisted of a large wooden cross with an alabaster corpus. The two elegant soft wood statues to the left and right of the alter are St. Catherine of Siena and Jesus the King respectively and were carved in Bolzano, Italy.
The sanctuary lamp comes from a small chapel in a palace in Rome that was torn down by Mussolini. And the medallions that hang on the East and West walls once hung in a chapel in the home of Evalyn Walsh McClean, who was the last private owner of the Hope Diamond.
On the stained glass window you see St. Catherine holding the body of Christ on a cross. This window was installed in 1937 and was made by world-renown Franz-Mayer and Sons glass Works in Munich, Germany.
On a hill overlooking this little stone chapel stands Jesus with arms outstretched, welcoming visitors to visit this little historic chapel that sits pictuesquely in front of Mt. Meeker.
Pope John Paul II visited this site in 1993 and blessed this historic church. This picture hangs on the wall of the church and features the historic visit.
Pope St. John Paul II's visit in 1993
This hidden treasure is located in Allenspark and is definately worth the drive up the mountains to behold. This chapel reminded me of the tremendous devotion and faith put into the building of every church.
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