History
of the
Saint Nicholas
Chapel of Selva Negra.
Matagalpa,
Nicaragua
Since
construction first began on Selva Negra in 1975, the idea of a chapel has
always been a dream of family. Klaus Kühl (Eddy?s father) and Mausi
Hayn Kühl agreed upon a beautiful location situated in the middle
of the virgin forest many years ago.
The
site was prepared ages in advance of the construction. Grandpa Klaus planted
pine trees in and around the area. The pine tree seeds were brought from
the Yucul Plantation, which had been settled by Albert Vogl (Mausi?s great
grandfather) in 1888.
After walking
the land around the chapel the family decided that it would be a lovely
idea to create paths throughout the forest for the guests and family to
enjoy. Many of these paths begin right outside the chapel.
It was not
before 1990, when Eddy and Mausi returned from 10 years in the United States,
that they once again began thinking about the chapel. However, it would
take some encouragement to get the construction moving.
Fortunately,
that encouragement came from the Kühl's daughter, Karen, in 1998.
Karen, Eddy and Mausi?s second daughter, told the family that she and her
long time boyfriend, Don Sloth, wished to be married.
Mausi
suggested that they finally build the chapel and Karen and her bridgegroom
could celebrate their marriage in Nicaragua. This idea set the stage for
the construction of the chapel. Every family member had a different vision
concerning the construction and style of the chapel.
Eddy
drew up plans for a small chapel. Mausi wanted it to be bigger, Karen wanted
it to be more rustic, and Cody (Eddy and Mausi?s grandson) wanted church
bells. Each different idea brought new plans. The family decided to keep
these as memories for the future.
At
last, construction began in October 1998. The construction fell under the
direction of Manuel, a man from the town of Jinotega, who specialized in
rustic construction. Along the way many changes were made to the little
chapel.
It
was decided to keep the cut stone interior as the plans indicated while
changing to uncut stones for the outwalls, creating a more rustic look.
The stones used were bought from the Pica-Piedras family. The Pica-Piedras
are known for the special stones they sell because they come exclusively
from rocky areas around Matagalpa.
The
construction was finished on February 4th, 2000, exactly one day before
Karen and Don Sloth?s wedding! The couple invited 300 Nicaraguans and 30
American friends from all over the United States.
From
Atlanta came Karen?s sister, Gretel, from Florence, Italy came another
sister, Nora, from Paris and Miami came other friends, Patty and Karla
and so forth.
The
wedding took place on February 5th, 2000, a day the family had been planning
for over years. It was a very happy day indeed and will be remembered
for many years to come, especially by Karen Kühl and Don Sloth.
To
the joy of everyone, the 25 year old dream of the chapel finally came true
after all that time.
CHRONOLOGíA
HISTORIA SITIO
ARQUEOLóGICO CHAGUITILLO MUSEO
DEL CAFE
MUSEO
DE INMIGRANTES ALEMANES MUSEO
DE CARLOS FONSECA AMADOR
MUSEO
CASA DE RUBEN DARIO ESPERANZA
VERDE TERRABONA
SEBACO
CAPILLA
DE SAN NICOLAS SELVA NEGRA
PICTORICO DE SELVA
NEGRA SELVA
NEGRA
ZOOLóGICO
PARQUE LOS MONOS
BIOGRAFIAS MATAGALPINAS CATEDRAL
SAN PEDRO, MATAGALPA
TERROCARRIL
DE MATAGALPA