Seattle Prep wasn’t looking to win international recognition for its new chapel, it just sort of happened.

“We just wanted the space to be very simple and modest and open, said Ben Mawhinney, director of communications for the school. The idea, he said was to have something that reflected the simplicity of Jesuit values, but something that also worked within the style of the campus and the Pacific Northwest.

The 11th Ave E school’s recently completed Our Lady of Montserrat Chapel is being praised as one of the best new religious structures in the country.

The 1,600 square-foot chapel is named for a statue of the Virgin Mary which figured in a pivotal moment in the life of Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order. It was designed by Hennebery Eddy Architects of Portland. The chapel doesn’t feature a lot of religious symbology and isn’t as ornate as some Catholic places of worship can be.

“It’s very quiet, without a lot of visual stimulation,” Mawhinney said.

The magazine Faith & Form, an interfaith journal of faith, religion, and architecture gave out 33 awards across multiple categories, culled from almost 130 entries. In its citation, it praised the Seattle Prep chapel’s design, which it said was inspired by the ruins of 17th century South American missions.

The award jury praised the way the chapel fits into the larger site:

“This project is wonderful in its context. It creates a gateway, a threshold. Stone is used to connect the building to the site, and also to the tradition of mission churches the Jesuits are known for. The path created, past the font and water feature, past the cross, creates an experience of calm before coming into the main space. It lightly touches the site.”

The new chapel was part of a larger building program at the north Capitol Hill institution.

Back in 2013, the school embarked on a $26 million construction plan, renovating buildings, including a number of changes, updates and remodeling projects. It re-vamped Peyton Plaza, which Mawhinney likened to the quad on a college campus. Much of the renovations were needed just as basic updates to bring the facilities more in line with modern educational standards. Mawhinney said that last of the big items is now over, with the completion of a new athletic practice field. The school will continue to use Ohno field, in Montlake, which it helped to renovate.

The school, which has 700 students from grades 9-12, was founded in 1891. In 1933, Seattle Prep split off from Seattle College (which would go on to become Seattle University). They’ve been at their location at 2400 11th Ave E since 1919. The school has produced its share of notable alumni like former Governor John Spellman, former Mayor Greg Nickels, and former exchange student Amanda Knox.