Finishing the outside of The Divine Mercy Chapel

Hello my dear friends,

Once again another weekend arrived and February came to it's end. Time does fly. It has been really cold here and I can't wait for Spring and the warmth of Summer. I hope that you are all fine and doing well. 

Finally today I will be sharing with you the Final touches on the outside of The Divine Mercy's Chapel. 

The Divine Mercy Chapel

It has been quite a challenge and I can't believe that the worst of the renovations are over. It has pushed me to my limits and tested my patience dearly. At the end I look at it and at least to my eyes there isn't a hint of what this little property looked like before or endured. It took me a while to finish but it was worth it.

So I continued with finishing the last trimmings on the main roof which is basically a lift-off roof to see the inside. I added the trimming to the  roof ridge to add a little bit of character to the building. It is made out of wood and I painted it in black with a metal silver finish.

Finishing the roof ridge trimming

The weather wasn't really permitting here in Malta and it took me a little longer to finish the brick work on the walls. I had to wait for the plaster to dry off but finally I managed to finish the back wall, the side and even the front of the chapel. When the plaster was all done and dry, I sanded it slightly and shaded where it was necessary.

Bricking and shading of the remaining walls

The porch had to be added to the front while the plaster on the front was still wet so it will have a nicer straight finish. Once that was done, I continued tiling the porch roof, added the last piece of trimmings and added a cross that I made.

Fitting the porch in place and adding the last roof tiles

After all that, I could finally start breathing. I added two little birds in the steeple like any church would have.

Adding little birds to the steeple

To the front door I added two boot scrappers which at least in Malta most of the old churches still have them. Both these where in white metal and I painted them.

Adding boot scrappers outside the main door

The only thing remaining or at least I felt missing was the windows. The windows in this kit where just clear and very honest not appealing to a church. I thought of using some sort of frosted plastic or even the leaded type of perspex. Somehow these ideas where still plain to the eye. Then I thought that most of the churches had stained glass with images of Jesus and of Saints but I didn't know exactly how to go about them. I have found some lovely pictures of stained glass windows and found about Carole from Poppet Dolly Bits which was kind enough to design them and customize them for my church. She has done a fantastic job and fitted the windows perfectly.

Adding customized stained glass windows to the church

I am really pleased how it all turned out. Looking at it gives me great pride and I can't even believe that I was the one to do it. Now there is still a lot to do in the inside. Like always my imagination runs wild and not everything fits in, in such a small little chapel.

So folks here is a picture  to remind you of how it was before when I first got it.

The Chapel before when I first got it

And here are the pictures of it after the finished renovations from outside.

The Chapel in it's Glory.

I hope you have liked what I have done so far. Now I can concentrate a bit more on the inside of the church. So stayed tuned for more updates for March. I highly doubt that it will be done for Easter but I guess one can dream. Wishing you all a very happy weekend.

Take Care and see you soon.

Hugs

Rebecca xxx