Chapel of the Holy Cross (Sedona, Arizona)

The chapel was inspired and commissioned by local rancher and sculptor Marguerite Brunswig Staude, who had been inspired in 1932 by the newly constructed Empire State Building to build such a church. After an attempt to do so in Budapest, Hungary – with the help of Lloyd Wright, son of architect Frank Lloyd Wright – was abandoned due to the outbreak of World War II, she decided to build the church in her native region.[1]

The chapel's design is by architect August K. Strotz, and the project architect was Richard Hein,[2] both of the Anshen & Allen firm.[3] The chapel is built on Coconino National Forest land; Senator Barry Goldwater assisted Staude in obtaining a special-use permit.[4] The construction supervisor was Fred Coukos of the William Simpson Construction Company,[5] who built the chapel in 18 months at a cost of $300,000. Upwards of 25 tons of rock was moved without the use of dynamite.[4] The chapel was completed in 1956.[4]

The interior of the chapel

The American Institute of Architects gave the Chapel its Award of Honor in 1957.[6] In the sculptor's words, "Though Catholic in faith, as a work of art the Chapel has a universal appeal. Its doors will ever be open to one and all, regardless of creed, that God may come to life in the souls of all men and be a living reality."[6]

In 2007, Arizonans voted the chapel to be one of the Seven Man-Made Wonders of Arizona.[7]

^ "Chapel of the Holy Cross". Sedona Drive Tour. Archived from the original on July 30, 2016. Retrieved April 9, 2007. ^ "AD Classics: Chapel of the Holy Cross / Richard Hein". ArchDaily. April 27, 2011. Archived from the original on April 30, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2021. ^ "Chapel of the Holy Cross". #SOSBRUTALISM. The German Architecture Museum and the Wüstenrot Foundation. Archived from the original on October 22, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021. ^ a b c Bryant, Kathleen (2002). Sedona: Treasure of the Southwest. Flagstaff: Northland. p. 40. ISBN 0-87358-818-5. ^ pls4e (July 16, 2018). "Chapel of the Holy Cross". SAH ARCHIPEDIA. Retrieved August 23, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) ^ a b "The Chapel of the Holy Cross". Sedona Central Reservations. 2010. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021 – via the Internet Archive Wayback Machine. ^ "7 Wonders of Arizona". AZCentral. 2010. Retrieved September 25, 2010.