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About

St. Catherine of Siena Chapel is located at Saint Malo Retreat Center in Allenspark, Colorado. The Chapel is known as "The Chapel on the Rock" because is built on top of a huge boulder. It is also known as "The Stone Chapel". The Chapel can be rented for Catholic Weddings.

History
The founder of Camp St. Malo, Monsignor Joseph Bosetti, had for years entertained an idea that one day he would build a chapel on this site. In 1916 he and two friends observed a falling meteor during the night and in his search for the remnants the next morning, he came across a large rock. The beauty of the land inspired the priest and he remembered Jesus’ words to Peter: “Upon this rock, I will build my Church.” (Matt 16:18).
The chapel was designed by noted Denver architect Jacques Benedict. The contractors were the Coulihan Brothers and Charlie Miller of the nearby town of Allenspark, who had native stone hauled in by mule carts from the surrounding area to use as building material.
The chapel was dedicated by Archbishop Urban Vehr in 1936 to the honor of Saint Catherine of Siena. In 1993, Pope John Paul II visited the chapel during his trip to Denver for the World Youth Day and bestowed his personal blessing on the chapel.
Over the years, thousand of visitors have stopped at the chapel to enjoy its simplicity and beauty as it is framed against majestic Mt. Meeker. In 1999, Boulder County designated the chapel as a historic site. The Chapel on the Rock is truly a Colorado landmark.

A Look inside the Chapel
In the high niches to the left and right of the altar are two soft wood statues. On the statue of St. Catherine of Siena, the Stigmata wounds are present on her hands and feet. This sculpture, along with the statue of Christ the King to the right of the altar, were carved at the Giacomo-Mussner studios in Bolzano, Italy.
The stained glass window depicts St. Catherine holding the body of Christ on the cross. The window was installed in 1937, some two years after the chapel was built. It was created by the world renowned Franz Mayer and Sons Glass Works in Munich, Germany.
The sanctuary lamp has been in use in this chapel since the first Mass was offered in 1935. Before its arrival in Colorado, the antique lamp hung in a small chapel in a palace in Rome which Mussolini ordered torn down in order to make room to build a road.
The medallions, on the east and west walls, once hung in a chapel in the home of Evalyn Walsh McLean, the Denver-born, Washington socialite, who was the last private owner of the famous Hope Diamond. These beautiful medallions feature Madonna and Child in two distinctly different styles.

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100% Recommended by couples
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Katie Sent on 12/30/2014
5 out of 5 rating
Saint Catherine of Sienna Chapel holds special significance for my family - Camp Saint Malo was an actual summer camp my dad attended as a child, and before the fire and the flood the John Paul II trail was a place that we hiked as a family. I knew it was where I wanted to get married.

It was expensive, but worth every cent. It was an absolutely mesmerizing place to have a Catholic wedding, and Father Joe (the parish priest for Our Lady of the Mountain) made it such a holy sacrament. Our wedding will always be one of my most cherished memories - and the sanctity of our day will always fill my heart with joy.

The church fits about 100 people. It has heat (which is important if you get married in the off season like us!), but there are no bathrooms on site. The choir loft made for a lovely place for my husband and I to take turns hiding so we didn't see each other.
User1039924 Sent on 12/09/2012
5 out of 5 rating
Such a gem - I can't imagine having a Catholic Colorado wedding anywhere else! We live in NY and had a very hard time finding a church willing to marry us in Colorado (my husband is from Boulder). Thank goodness we found Malo (and St Catherine of Siena!) Beautiful, intimate, unparalleled aesthetic sense of the sacred and closeness to the divine. Our atheist guests were as moved as the Catholics. We were the first wedding after the terrible fire they had, and the administrative staff in Denver was incredibly accommodating to us. No time limitations for photos or anything, but we were off-season.
Kate
Kate Sent on 08/10/2014
4.9 out of 5 rating
This was the most beautiful setting for our small, destination Catholic wedding. It fit 100 people comfortably, and it couldn't have been more beautiful. Nancy coordinated the ceremony, and she did a great job making us feel comfortable, and explained the importance of the sacrament to our wedding party. It is expensive, but I would recommend the chapel to anyone wanting a Catholic ceremony.
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Calligraphy by Angela Calligraphy by Angela Wedding Invitations

I recommend the services of Saint Malo Retreat Center to make your Wedding Day that very special day you always wanted,that will be remembered and cherished by you and all your guests for many years to come. ~~ Angela Neik, www.calligraphybyangela.com Dallas Calligrapher

Jody Zorn Photography Jody Zorn Photography Wedding Photographers

we have photographed a few weddings at St. Malo and there is no other church like it in Colorado! its so intimate and unique and we are thrilled each time a couple we are working with is getting married there!

Ptarmigan Classical and Rock String Quartet Ptarmigan Classical and Rock String Quartet Wedding Musicians

Ptarmigan String Quartet has performed for many, many weddings at Saint Malo. It is a charming, historic chapel that sits below Longs Peak, one of Colorado's most beautiful 14,000 mountains, near Estes Park. The staff at Saint Malo and the priests who perform ceremonies are very caring and strive to give the best service possible. Ptarmigan String Quartet highly recommends Sait Malo for your very special Colorado wedding!

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