Chapel of the Little Portion

The chapel designed by Stephen de Staebler in 1989, is located on the north side of Swan Lake, behind the New Harmony Inn. The brothers of Mount Saint Francis constructed the chapel with stucco and wood. Franciscan friar from Louisville, Kentucky, Reverend David Lenz explains why the chapel was symbolic for the Franciscans to build. “One day St. Francis of Assisi was praying in the crumbling ruins of the little church of San Damiano and he heard the words ‘Francis, go and repair my church which is falling down.’ Thinking that he was being directed to rebuild the physical structure of that church, he did so and went on to rebuild and repair others. One little church he rebuilt was called Portiuncula or little portion. It remained a favorite of his.’”

The patinated steel cross at the Chapel of the Little Portion (behind Swan Lake) was created by sculptor, artist and midcentury modern furniture designer Allen Ditson of Arizona. From the 1950s through the 1980s he and his wife, artist Lee Porzio, ran the Ditson-Porzio Studio in Paradise Valley, Arizona, just down the street from Cosanti, Paolo Soleri’s home and studio. The cross’s shadow is projected onto the exterior south wall of the Chapel by sunlight, moonlight or lamplight, adding a sense of mystery to this special contemplative location. The chapel is open for personal contemplation from dawn to dusk. Key available at New Harmony Inn Entry House front desk.