History of the Chapel
The focal point of Island Cemetery is the Belmont Memorial Chapel. The chapel was built in 1886-1888 by August Belmont, a wealthy banker who secured his place in society when he wed Newport socialite Caroline Slidell Perry, daughter of Commodore Matthew Galbraith Perry. The Richardsonian-Romanesque chapel, the work of George Chaplin Mason and Son, was built as a memorial to their deceased 19 year old daughter Jane Pauline. “Patience” is inscribed in many locations in the interior of the chapel. The chapel’s original purpose was to serve as a site to hold committal services for those being buried at the Island Cemetery. The chapel, which was deeded after completion to the Island Cemetery, is a 1-1/2 story, late Victorian-style building constructed of rock-faced brownstone; its picturesque massing of tall dormers, entrance portico and belfry make it a focal point of the cemetery. No bodies are entombed in the chapel, but some are buried in the large front burial circle, including August and Caroline, who reside in sarcophagi, as well as their son August II and Commodore Matthew Perry, who is credited with opening up trade with Japan in 1884.
August Belmont died in 1890 before he had established an endowment to ensure the chapel maintenance. Over time, the building had seriously deteriorated and was barely visible under the ivy that covered it as seen in the photos here.
In 2014, the Belmont Chapel Foundation was established to restore and preserve the chapel. In 2020, the Belmont Chapel Foundation embarked on a Capital Campaign to begin the restoration of the beautiful 19th century Romanesque chapel. The Foundation received major grant awards from the Alletta Morris McBean Charitable Trust, the van Beuren Charitable Foundation, Preserve RI/1772 and the Champlin Foundation as well as individuals who funded the total cost of the overall restoration; approximately $2.5 million. The chapel is expected to be completed in the fall of 2024.