Chapel of the Holy Cross
About
What It Is
The Chapel of the Holy Cross is a Roman Catholic chapel constructed between 1954 and 1956 directly into the red rock buttes of Sedona, Arizona, on land within the Coconino National Forest [1]. It was commissioned by local rancher and sculptor Marguerite Brunswig Staude, who conceived the idea in 1932 after seeing the steel framework of the Empire State Building, and it was designed by architect August K. Strotz and project architect Richard Hein of the firm Anshen and Allen [1]. The chapel operates under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix and its ministry is carried out by St. John Vianney Parish, Sedona [1]. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011 [1].
Activities & Experiences
Visitors can enter the chapel and experience its interior, which features a 90 ft tall iron cross on the southwestern wall that functions as both a structural and aesthetic element, holding the altar and Corpus inside [1]. The approach involves walking up a long, curved textured-concrete ramp from the parking area to the chapel entrance [1]. The building seats up to 150 people, and its confessional, office, sacristies, and service spaces are located in the basement [1]. The chapel's smokey-gray glass at both ends and sandblasted aggregate walls create a distinctive interior atmosphere set against the surrounding sandstone formations [1].
Practical Access
The chapel sits on Coconino National Forest land in Sedona, Arizona, and is reached via a ramp from an on-site parking area [1]. No hours, fees, reservation requirements, or typical visit duration are stated in the sources.
Restrictions
No specific restrictions noted in the sources.
What Makes It Distinctive
The chapel was built without the use of dynamite despite requiring the movement of more than 25 tons of rock, and was completed in 18 months at a cost of 300,000 USD [1]. It received an Award of Honor from the American Institute of Architects in 1957 and was recognized in the 1954 Progressive Architecture Award Program [1]. In 2007, Arizonans voted it one of the Seven Man-Made Wonders of Arizona [1]. Staude described it as Catholic in faith but universal in appeal, with its doors open to all regardless of creed [1].
Sources
- Open year-round
Access & fees
- free admission
Things to do
- admire the unique architecture
- enjoy panoramic views of sedona's red rocks
- learn about the chapel's history
- photography
- quiet reflection and prayer
- scenic driving through sedona
- visit active chapel
- visit the gift shop and bookstore
- walk curved approach ramp
- watch sunrise or sunset from nearby viewpoints
Events & seasons
- catholic services held
Features
- 1,500 ft cliff backdrop
- built into red rock buttes
- iron cross, 90 ft tall
- national register of historic places
- seats 150 people
Good to know
- construction: 18 months
- roman catholic, diocese of phoenix