The government turned a blind eye and even though Hearst was suffering some of his own financial hurdles, the chapel was packed into eleven ships headed for the docks in San Francisco. Sadly for Hearst, his dreams of a castle in McCloud were not to come true. The American financial excess of the last few decades had hit Hearst and bankruptcy was looming as a distinct possibility. The castle was cancelled and now the monastery sat in 28 storage buildings in pieces adding up storage costs. The monastery was eventually sold to the city of San Francisco for $25,000 and moved to Golden Gate Park where it was supposed to be rebuilt into a museum of medieval art. The cost was prohibitive and the museum never built. After multiple fires that cracked several of the hand carved stones and neglect the incredible monastery of Santa Maria de Ovila was slowly rotting away behind the Japanese Tea Garden.
Enter Abbot Thomas Davis and his dream to bring what was left of the monastery to the grounds in Vina; back to its rightful owners, the Trappist order, and to its original use, as a place of worship. It took nearly 40 years, but Abbot Davis was finally able to convince the San Francisco city government to get rid of what had turned into a white elephant for them and let the monks work at restoring it to its formal glory. So what was left of the original stones from the 13th century cathedral were on the road again, this time to once again fulfill their original purpose in a tree lined field in Northern California. The restoration is coming along, but it is a slow, painstaking and very expensive process. The monks have succeeded in obtaining contributions from people from around the world, but it will take more than this to bring this beautiful chapel back to its original glory. When it is complete it will be the oldest building on the west coast.
If you would like to take a trip to this incredible spot, take in some fascinating history and taste some enchanting wines, the tasting room is open Saturday and Sunday, 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. It is well worth the drive and your time!
