The protective atrium and the outer shell of the medieval chapter house being rebuilt at the Abbey of New Clairvaux monastery in Vina in Tehama County are finished. Now stonemasons can begin the work of reconstructing the triple-arch portal and the interior’s intricate rib vaulting.

“This next phase is where it starts to get really interesting — putting the old stones back together,” master stonemason Frank Helmholz said.

The portal, considered a prime example of Gothic monastic architecture, will be refashioned almost entirely of the original 800-year-old stones. The first one was placed during a July 2 ceremony that included traditional Cistercian prayers and chants.

“We have to stay connected to our history. The chapter house is unique — it’s a messenger from the past,“ said Helmholz, who honed his skills while working in Europe for 25 years restoring German and French castles and churches, including the Basilica of St. Denis near Paris.

He pointed out that the monks in Vina will use the chapter house as a place for prayer, just as the Cistercian monks did in Spain centuries ago.

“There are other old structures in America but they’re not used for their original purpose,” Helmholz said. “This is different. The chapter house is being reconstructed to be what it once was.”

The Spanish monastery built of hand-carved limestone blocks eventually fell into private ownership. In 1931 William Randolph Hearst purchased part of it and shipped the dismantled stones to California. They were meant to be incorporated into the newspaper tycoon’s villa near Mount Shasta. Instead they were abandoned behind San Francisco’s De Young Museum after financial problems forced Hearst to give them to the city to settle his accounts.

That’s where Abbot Thomas Davis of the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance initially saw the stones in 1955. He was determined to bring the cast-offs to the Abbey of New Clairvaux, home of the only men’s Cistercian — also called Trappist — monastery in California. In 1994 the museum trustees finally granted the abbot his wish and the Sacred Stones project began.

“It’s not just a project,” Abbot Davis said. “Everyone involved with the reconstruction understands that there’s a sacredness to it, a work of God.”

Numerous benefactors agree. They have offered financial support to turn the jumble of limestone back into a house of prayer.

The process is a slow one, since the monks operate on a self-supporting “pay as you go” system. The funds raised in 2006 are enough to begin the project’s second phase — finishing the chapter house interior, and constructing its protective atrium, entrance building, walkways and plaza. But another $3.2 million is needed to complete the work and open the chapter house for use.

“If we continue with our current fund-raising enthusiasm then we could finish the chapter house by the end of 2008 and open it to the public,” Abbot Davis said.

“Everyone is so hopeful that we can get the funding,” said Jane Flynn, chairwoman of the lay leadership committee. “Every time I visit Vina the richness of the history and the excitement of the project come alive again.”

Victor Hanson, a vice-president with Sunseri Associates of Sacramento, has been the project superintendent for three years.

As he watches the chapter house take shape, he feels fortunate to be involved in the historic reconstruction. “I’ll never get another chance to work on a building like this,” he said. “It’s a one-time deal.”

Vina has become more than a job to him, he said. He finds himself increasingly drawn to the monastery. At the end of work each evening he enjoys riding a bicycle through the orchards and along the perimeter bounded by Deer Creek.

“No matter where you go here, Vina has a peacefulness that’s nonstop,” he said.

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