Monday, October 19, 2009

Precious Moments

On our trip to Branson we took a day to travel to the Precious Moments Chapel that Sam Butcher created in 1989. It was so interesting to see his work and hear how he painted this chapel in record time.



The grounds were beautifully maintained.

This is the original 21 that he created for the Enesco company. Some of the characters were created in tribute to his own children.


This is the front of the chapel. They have a museum and gift store on the grounds as well.




The doors to the chapel were carved by Sam Butcher, himself, along with a 19 year old from the Philippines. The wood was shipped from that country. They are amazing to see.


This is a hall that runs along the side of chapel. Sam's sister-in-law made all the stain glass windows. Just beautifully done.

The inside of the chapel has many paintings of his. This large one is floor to ceiling.


The paintings on the side walls were done in seven (7) days. All of them-- if you can believe it. He is a man that requires little sleep and works long hours.




He painted the ceiling on scaffolds, sometimes on his back. He only slept a few hours a night to get it done in 3 1/2 mos.
He visits the chapel a few times a year. He now lives in the Philippines working with an orphanage.
We were happy we took the day to visit it.
Thanks for your visit today! I hope you enjoyed it.

15 comments:

Sue said...

Wow, what an amazingly talented man and, apparently, family. I remember when Precious Moments first came out way back when. I was in retail but passed on the line feeling they were a little too sweet for our store at the time. I so wish I would have taken the time to get the back story on this amazing artist.
Thanks for introducing me to his great talent.
Hug,
Sue

Diana Ferguson said...

Thanks for the tour. I have never been there.

Ceekay-THINKIN of HOME said...

It is a beautiful place. In the chapel, we have a memorial page for our babies. I would imagine there are quite a few books there now. I would love to go back again someday!

Lois Christensen said...

What a beautiful place! I love the paintings! I didn't even know this place existed! Thanks for the info! Hope you're doing well and enjoying the fall!!

Anonymous said...

Oh, what a lovely place and what a very talented man. I have always thought the little Precious Moments figurines were so sweet. I have embroidered a few! :) It was so great so see this! I had no idea this gorgeous place existed.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

Melissa Miller said...

What a gorgrous place Rose! I had no idea a Precious Moments chapel existed. It's all so lovely. Thanks for showing us around.

Many blessings my friend, ~Melissa :)

Volunteering abroad said...

He's such a hardworking and talented man.Hoping to be there in that beautiful place.

Kristens Creations said...

I didn't know this place existed either. Is it in Branson, Missouri? I've been there many times and have never seen it. What a beautiful place! You asked about the wreath...I didn't tie the mesh in a bow, I simply tied about 10 strips of the mesh all around the wreath, I didn't even double knot it, it holds just fine. I did double knot the ribbon though, because it would come undone otherwise. I hope this helps, just let me know if you need more info. Kristen

Kristens Creations said...

Oh...I got the mesh at a store here locally that carries a little bit of everything. You never know what they will have. I have seen it at Hobby Lobby, it is not quite as stiff and wide, but I think it will work just fine. I haven't checked at Michael's though. I know alot of gift shops around here carry it too, I've also seen it at Market, it must be the big thing right now.

Yellow Rose Arbor said...

Oh, this was so enjoyable to see! It was even better than I imagined! I would love to go there! Thanks for taking us along on a virtual tour!

Katherine

Teresa @ Grammy Girlfriend said...

What a great place and one I have always wanted to visit....I love your blog....

Happy@Home said...

This looks like a beautiful chapel that would be well worth visiting. It all looks amazingly gorgeous, but I think I like the ceiling the best. So precious.

joyh82 said...

Awesome, I have always wanted to go to this but can never talk dh into it. Thanks for sharing the beautiful pictures.

Joyce said...

Interesting post. I have a PM that I received way back when they first came on the market and I love that little statue and can see it right now as I type. The doors are amazing as well as the ceiling and all the art work. Such talent! Thanks for sharing.
Joyce

Dawn said...

Looks like a really fun place to visit. My SIL has such a huge collection that she got when she was younger. I wonder how much it'd be worth today.