The Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona is a stunning example of contextualism in architecture. The pioneer of this trend was Frank Lloyd Wright himself and it was his pupil who conceived the project. A concrete chapel supported by a cross was incorporated into the beautiful red Arizona rocks. The symbolism and aesthetics make the Chapel of the Holy Cross a place of reflection and tranquillity.
Marguerite Brunswig Staude had the idea for the chapel back in the 1930s. She was inspired by the solid structures of New York’s skyscrapers, in particular the Empire State Building. Wright’s student got in touch with the son of the famous architect and began preliminary planning for construction in Budapest. However, the Second World War thwarted the two’s plans and it was not until the 1950s that new hope for construction was offered.
Staude hired August K. Strotz and Richard Hein to design a chapel in her native Arizona. It is worth noting that the chapel wanted to be built on Coconino National Forest land, which fortunately did not prove to be an obstacle. After obtaining special permits from a state senator, construction began. More than 25 tonnes of rock rising above the small town of Sedona were blasted. The chapel was opened after 18 months of construction, but to this day no regular services are held there.
Church on a rock
The main building material of the Chapel of the Holy Cross is coarse-grained concrete. The rough texture can resemble small stones. The more than 27 m long cross supporting the building also has a symbolic meaning. The church is also figuratively based on the cross, and a similar allegory can also be seen in the base of the rock-backed chapel itself. Another important element of the façade is the smoky glazing on the altar side.
A concrete ramp leads to the platform on which the chapel is set. The interior is visible even before entering the church through the glazed wall. Inside, the same rough finish of the walls has been maintained and the floors are made of concrete smoothed with a trowel. The most important design element is the iron cross with the statue of Jesus Christ located directly behind the larger cross outside.
The chapel, including the basement, sacristies and confessional, can accommodate up to 150 people. The building does not look very big, but its monumentalism lies more in its very location. The red cliff is a huge rock under which the impressive chapel was built. The views from the windows of the Chapel of the Holy Cross highlight the power of nature and the church. This effect is primarily related to the contextualism of the building.
Key context
Contextualism, or modernism inscribing itself in its surroundings, was promoted mainly by Colin Rowe. The British architect was opposed to the universalism of modernism, which often uncompromisingly disrupted natural space. Rowe wanted architects to create designs that fit into a certain context of nature. One of the most outstanding contextualist projects is Falling Water by Frank Lloyd Wright, which you can read about HERE.
Finally, it is still worth noting the message of the author’s idea for the Chapel of the Holy Cross. According to Staude, the chapel is a place open to all, so that God can come into everyone’s life. This message is also immortalised by the inscription above the entrance: “Peace to all who enter”. Today, the chapel is one of the “Seven Wonders of Arizona” created by man.
Source: Chapel of the Holy Cross
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