This picture is of the Chapel of the Holy Cross, located in Sedona, Arizona. Obviously it is quite unique, even for Sedona, which is a Mecca for religion, spiritualism, and new age healing (that is another whole blog by itself). Here is a bit of the story behind it. It was designed by Marguerite Bruswig Staude, a student of the famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. According to her biography, the came up with the idea for a special church in 1932...and after a long search in Europe and the US to find the "right" location, she decided on Sedona when she and her husband were on a trip that took them through the city.
According to her biography, "This would be a monument to faith, but a spiritual fortress so charged with God, that it spurs man's spirit Godward."
It was completed in 1956 and is currently operated by the Catholic Church through the Diocese of Phoenix. Interestingly enough, there are no services held there other than a one-night-a-week prayer service. The reason, according to one story I heard, was that it was not originally built by the Church, so it can't be used for masses.
It consists mostly of a chapel and a very large gift shop. One must climb up to the chapel from the parking lot below. But, the views from there are amazing.
Whether you are religious or not, this is still an amazing piece of architecture and well worth a visit if you are ever in Sedona.
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