Location: Carmel Mission Basilica/Our Lady of Bethlehem Chapel
Our Lady of Bethlehem, also known as Nuestra Señora de Belén, is the oldest statue of Mary in California and the second oldest in the United States.
Carved in 15th-century Spain, this life-sized statue accompanied St. Junípero Serra on his journey from Mexico to Monterey in 1769. Interestingly, Our Lady stands at 5 feet, 2 inches tall, mirroring the height of St. Junípero himself.
Left: The Our Lady of Bethlehem statue, the centerpiece of the chapel.
When the Mission was abandoned, the Cantua family became the statue’s guardians. Dona Maria Ignacia Dutra, a Cantua family member, enshrined the statue in her Monterey home. Tulita Westfall later inherited the statue, taking it with her to Oakland.
Years later, when Tulita returned to Monterey, Sir Harry Downie, the Mission curator, inquired about the statue. He discovered it packed in a box, in poor condition. Downie borrowed the statue with the intention of repairing it. Upon learning its history, he retained it, believing it too important to return.
Right: The priceless statue prior to Sir Harry Downie’s restoration.
Downie meticulously restored the statue, including a carved wooden torso to replace the termite-damaged original.
He kept Mary’s hair red; however, the new hair was from his mother. He also added his grandmother’s gold engagement ring. The locket worn by the infant Jesus belonged to Downie’s mother. The silk background was from China and is said to have been ordered by St. Junípero Serra himself.
The original dress was silver embossed silk and estimated to be 250 years old. Downie received the current silver-embroidered dress from a Mexican antiquities dealer—the same age as the original.
Left: The post-restoration statue.
