April 9, 2022

THORNCROWN CHAPEL

Hwy. 62 W. Eureka Springs, AR 72632

“Thorncrown Chapel is a chapel located in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, designed by E. Fay Jones, and constructed in 1980. The design recalls the Prairie School of architecture popularized by Frank Lloyd Wright, with whom Jones had apprenticed. The chapel was commissioned by Jim Reed, a retired schoolteacher, who had purchased the land in 1971 and envisioned a non-denominational pilgrimage chapel set apart in the landscape for meditation. The design of Thorncrown Chapel was inspired by the Sainte-Chapelle a Gothic church in Paris, France, containing many windows and different types of glass to allow more light into the structure.

The chapel was selected for the 2006 Twenty-five Year Award by the American Institute of Architects, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000, a status not granted to buildings fewer than fifty years old unless exceptionally significant. It was included in Budget Travel's list of "12 Most Beautiful Churches in America" and Bored Panda's list of "50 Most Extraordinary Churches Of The World." – Wikipedia

I don’t have much to add to the Wikipedia description above, other than to say the chapel is more beautiful that my photos depict. Entering the chapel I felt a sense of calm and reverence, it is truly a remarkable building. Unfortunately for me as a photographer, access to the exterior of the building is restricted, but I also understand as the chapel is built on the side of a very steep hill.