St. Francis Chapel

/SACRED SPACES

Nestled atop a hillside rising out of a sprawling Texas landscape, St. Francis Chapel stands as a transcendent buttress. Located on a 20,000-acre ranch near Breckenridge, the private Catholic chapel is one thousand square feet of handcrafted, artisanal design, featuring materials inspired by the surrounding terrain.

Its masonry walls are thick with natural, geologically-inspired solid stone coursing, and its trusses are of heavy timber. It boasts an array of reclaimed materials, such as the clay tile roof, chandeliers and entry sconces, and a stone roof cross located at the rear nave. The ponderous entry doors are made of mesquite handcrafted by a local artisan, as are the pews located in the nave.

Broken cast glass mosaic windows line either side of the chapel, and a stained glass window by Buell Designs draws the eye down the center of the 20-seat nave to the raised mesquite chancel.

A glass-enclosed sitting room located off the entry vestibule offers serene views of the surrounding ranch, connecting occupants to the natural world St. Francis of Assisi—to whom the chapel is dedicated—loved so much.