La Capilla

La Capilla was built in 1977. It houses a donation from the estate of Sir Daniel Donohue and Countess Brenardine Murphy Donohue, consisting of 24 choir stalls, a throne, and an altar that originated from the Monastery of Santa Clara de Astudillo (MSCA), Palenica, Castile, Spain dating back to about 1353. , Two separate royal palaces adjacent to the MSCA were occupied by king Peter I of Castile, 6 monarchs before Queen Isabella I (who financed Christopher Columbus- voyage of 1492), and his consort, Maria de Padilla. Maria was the sister of Diego Garcia de Padilla, Grand Master of the knights of the Order of Calatarava. The coats of arms of Peter I and the Padillas are prominently displayed on the choir stalls and the altar. , Originally 50 tall choir stalls were made for the number of the nuns authorized by Pope Innocent VI to reside in the MSCA. These are the oldest surviving examples of "Mudejar Period" choir stalls in Spain, and the richest in their painted decorations. The seats of the choir stalls could be lifted to allow the nuns to stand in place while they sang and prayed at the liturgy of the hours eight times daily. The pine wood stalls are grooved and fit so that no nails are used to hold them together. , Similar pieces from the MSCA are currently exhibited at the Muse Arqueologico Nacional, Madrid, Spain; The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, Michigan; and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY. , The throne and the altar were made sometime after 1932 in Rome, Italy from new wood and parts of what could be salvaged from at least 5 deteriorated original choir stalls. , The altar is decorated with the crests of Pope Pius XlI, pontiff at the time the Donohues obtained the collection from the Morandotty Gallery, in Palazzo Massimo, Rome. The crests of Los Angeles Cardinal James Francis Mclntyre, St. Bernardine of Siena, and St. Joseph, Saint chosen as confirmation name by Daniel Donohue also adorn the altar.