The Santa Rosa Chapel has held its place above
Cambria since 1870, and after the San Luis Obispo and San Miguel
missions, is the oldest church in this county. The final Mass was
celebrated in the chapel on May 26, 1963.
After the final Mass was celebrated in the chapel
on May 26, 1963, the building and cemetery went from a state of
neglect and disrepair to a state of abandonment and vandalism.
In the chapel, the altar, statuary, organ and pews were taken.
Many windows were broken. The floor was torn up and burned by vagrants.
Brush grew and covered most of the wooden grave markers in the
cemetery, and several marble headstones were defaced or split with
hammers.
In 1978, Marina Curti told Clementine Newman
that something had to be done to save the chapel and cemetery from
further destruction. Within weeks, Newman formed the old Santa
Rosa Chapel Committee and spearheaded the restoration project for
seven years. The chapel was rededicated for community use on Sept.
16, 1984.
Glowing woodwork, gleaming white walls and beautifully
restored statuary are the result of efforts by Marina Curti and
Clementine Newman and their Santa Rosa Chapel committee – results
that make the old church so inviting for weddings and other celebrations.
The chapel was rededicated for community use on Sept. 16, 1984
and today remains a treasured site of non-denominational weddings,
a one-of-a-kind location that offers a step back in time and a
glimpse of graceful days gone by.
The Old Santa Rosa Chapel
2353 Main Street - Cambria, California
805.927.1175 or 805.441.1707 EMAIL For more information
