My Corner Online
Precious Moments Chapel and Gardens
The Precious Moments Chapel and Gardens is located at 4321 S Chapel Rd, Carthage, Jasper County, Missouri. We visited on June 25, 2023.
What a sweet surprise to visit this place! I normally am not much of a museum type of vacationer, preferring the great outdoors places instead, but I thoroughly enjoyed visiting here. I encourage you to watch the above video because I did record much of the presentation in the chapel that explains so much about this place. It was so interesting to learn about the artist, Samuel J. Butcher, of the Precious Moments figurines that were so popular in the 1980's. In fact, our wedding cake topper was a precious moments figurine and I have a graduation one as well. It was not that I was so into them and collecting them at the time, but that they were the trend in the gift world and I received some of them. I do like them.
This is to the side of the parking lot and is so cute!
The entrance gives you a glimpse of what is to come. The water spouting from the duck mouths is so cute.
You first enter the visitor center and gift shop area. This place is free, but you can make a donation as well.
Then you head outside of the visitor center and across the gardens to the chapel. There are little bits of precious moments figures everywhere. Here we are walking down the isle of trumpeting angels called 'The Avenue of Angels.'
This is as we approach the chapel.
This is at the top of the door. During the presentation she told us how the door was carved.
When you walk in the doors you are in awe! The photos and video do not do it justice. Mr. Butcher, that is, Sam, hand painted everything in this chapel right on the walls, even the ceiling! He had to make use of ladders and staffolding. The paintings will take you forever to study the details and then you begin to try to figure out what Bible stories or scenes each depict. She told us what each was in the presentation, so listen to the video to learn. The light effects in the paint of each are amazing, as well as details. Sam created all of this as a gift to give back because of all his good fortunes in selling his figurines.
The mural at the front is the most fabulous. It is huge! The more you stare at it, the more you see. It is one big scene made up of so many little scenes. Some of the people in the mural represent real people in Sam's life.
Outside the chapel are two hallways to go to the back where you find other rooms. The hallways are lined with stained glass windows and in the presentation she told us about how those were created as well.
I loved the little Indians in one of the windows and wished I could have had them. I did find back in the gift shop a small Indian girl that was perfect for me and I wanted to buy it, but instead bought a statue for my garden outside as it would get seen and appreciated daily whereas a little trinket would go on a shelf and eventually blend in with the rest of the room.
This was a separate room in the chap in honor of a son Sam lost in 1991, Philip.
The presentation told a story of three things Sam was looking for when searching for property to buy. One was a cave. I believe he was thinking of the tomb of Christ. There is a cave on the site but he was unable to use it as he had dreamed, but you can go to see where the cave is located.
I believe this is the first precious moments created. We had found it in the gift shop.