Chapel of the Holy Cross

smokey the dog · Chapel of the Holy Cross

This is one of my favorite shots from Sedona, the Chapel of the Holy cross.

I'm going to post a short article on the history of the chapel. It's a good story.

The Chapel of the Holy Cross was a gift from Marguerite Brunswig Staude, a sculptress, philanthropist and devout Catholic, who believed the arts should be in service of spirit and indeed considered the Chapel of the Holy Cross to be her greatest artistic achievement and the fulfillment of her life's mission. In 1932 Staude had an epiphany. While she gazed upon the newly completed Empire State Building, she saw a cross superimposed on the structure, and she thought, "What an idea for a church!" This idea, which affirmed her belief that churches should speak to the people of their time, would haunt and inspire Staude. God can be worshipped as a contemporary bringing him closer to earth and every one of us, she said.

Initially, Staude envisioned the chapel as a modern skyscraper cathedral that would encircle one city block. Her early sketches impressed Lloyd Wright, son of the famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, but were not approved by the archbishop of Los Angeles, her home at the time. A nunnery in Budapest became excited about the design and planned to place the church above the Danube River. World War II aborted those plans. Then both of Staude?s parents died in the 1940s. It was her mother?s last wish that she leave behind a living spiritual trust. This is when Staude decided to resurrect her idea for a chapel, but this time she envisioned it in Sedona, a place she had come to love. Our monument would become a chapel dedicated to finding God through art, she said.

Her initial ideas for the church changed in 1950 after she saw a church in France designed by the painter Georges Roualt. Lloyd Wright clung to the original plans and refused to work with her. So she approached the San Francisco firm of Anshen and Allen, which jumped at the chance to build the unusual chapel.

Staude investigated many potential sites with her husband and the architects, but it was when they flew over Sedona that the future home of the Chapel of the Holy Cross seemed to declare itself. First, an RX the apothecary emblem had been painted in the rocks at the foot of the spur. (Staude's father had made his fortune in the wholesale drug business.) Second, and more significant, Staude saw a sight that still delights and humbles visitors to the Chapel a red rock formation to the East that looks like the Madonna and child, surrounded by rock figures that some people say look like praying nuns; others like the three wise men.

There was one major glitch in securing the land, however. It belonged to the National Forest Service. After unsuccessful attempts to obtain the land locally, Staude flew to Washington, DC, and met with Senator Barry Goldwater, a personal friend. She showed him the rendering and he caught her enthusiasm, marching her to the office of the Secretary of the Interior, who granted the necessary permit.

The groundbreaking for the chapel took place in April 1955. The construction was arduous and sometimes complicated, requiring not only skill but also ingenuity and tremendous commitment. (For a detailed description, refer to Kate Ruland-Thorne's book Upon This Rock.) It took 18 months to complete the Chapel of the Holy Cross at a cost of $300,000, which was a modest sum even in those days because everyone associated with the project generously cut their costs. The chapel was dedicated in the spring of 1957.