Thorncrown Chapel is a

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...

located in

Eureka Springs Eureka Springs is a city in Carroll County, Arkansas, United States, and one of two county seats for the county. It is located in the Ozark Mountains of northwest Arkansas, near the border with Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the city populat ...

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

, designed by

E. Fay Jones Euine Fay Jones (January 31, 1921 – August 30, 2004) was an American architect and designer. An apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright during his professional career, Jones is the only one of Wright's disciples to have received the AIA Gold Medal (19 ...

, and constructed in 1980. The design recalls the Prairie School of architecture popularized by

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...

, with whom Jones had

apprenticed Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

. The chapel was commissioned by Jim Reed, a retired schoolteacher, who envisioned a non-denominational

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

chapel set apart for

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm ...

. The design of Thorncrown Chapel was inspired by

Sainte-Chapelle The Sainte-Chapelle (; en, Holy Chapel) is a royal chapel in the Gothic style, within the medieval Palais de la Cité, the residence of the Kings of France until the 14th century, on the Île de la Cité in the River Seine in Paris, France. ...

, a Gothic church in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, France, pierced by numerous stained glass windows. It held some of King Louis's medieval Christian relics, including the

Crown of Thorns According to the New Testament, a woven crown of thorns ( or grc, ἀκάνθινος στέφανος, akanthinos stephanos, label=none) was placed on the head of Jesus during the events leading up to his crucifixion. It was one of the in ...

believed worn by Christ. This relic inspired the name of the American chapel. The chapel's unusual artistry has been recognized. It was selected for the 2006

Twenty-five Year Award The Twenty-five Year Award is an architecture prize awarded each year by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) to "a building that has set a precedent for the last 25 to 35 years and continues to set standards of excellence for its architect ...

by the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 2000, a status not granted to buildings fewer than fifty years old unless exceptionally significant.How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation
" ( PDF), National Register Bulletins,

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...

, 6. Accessed 2009-12-06. It was included in ''Budget Travel''s list of "12 Most Beautiful Churches in America" and

Bored Panda Bored Panda is a Lithuanian website that publishes articles about "lightweight and inoffensive topics". It was founded in 2009 by Tomas Banišauskas, who was then a business administration student at Vilnius University. As of November 2017, the sit ...

's list of "50 Most Extraordinary Churches Of The World."

Background

Resident Jim Reed, a retired schoolteacher, bought land in 1971 where he intended to commission a non-denominational

chapel near Eureka Springs, Arkansas. He wanted it to be set apart from the city for

in the foothill, forested landscape. He commissioned architect E. Fay Jones to design the project. Jones said he was inspired in his design of Thorncrown Chapel by

, a Gothic church in

, France. It is known for its jewel-like interior, the result of its many narrow, stained-glass windows and different types of glass that allow light into the structure.

Structure and status

The chapel stands high, wide, and long. It has 425 windows, which add up to 6,000 square feet (approximately 560 square meters) of glass. During the design process, Jones decided that in order to preserve the site's natural setting, no structural element could be larger than what two men could carry through the woods. The structure was constructed using organic materials indigenous to northwestern Arkansas, including pressure-treated

Southern pine Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, ...

and

flagstone Flagstone (flag) is a generic flat stone, sometimes cut in regular rectangular or square shape and usually used for paving slabs or walkways, patios, flooring, fences and roofing. It may be used for memorials, headstones, facades and other co ...

for the floor and surrounding wall. The small ornamental roof skylight was later enlarged to provide additional natural lighting throughout the chapel. The chapel looks like an open-air structure, but is, in fact, an enclosed air-conditioned space that seats up to 100 people. It is open daily from March to December with free admission. It is closed January and February except for

wedding A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...

s and other special events. Non-denominational church services are held in the adjoining worship center on Sundays from April to December.

Honors and awards

The chapel was selected by the

for the 2006

, recognizing works whose value has continued. It was listed on the

in 2000, a status not granted to buildings fewer than fifty years old unless exceptionally significant. ''Budget Travel'' included the chapel in its list of "12 Most Beautiful Churches in America"

has it on the list of "50 Most Extraordinary Churches Of The World."

References

External links

Thorncrown Chapel
official website.
Thorncrown Chapel Special Collection
in th
Fay Jones Collection
at the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

Library.
Thorncrown Chapel
at Great Buildings Online.
Thorncrown Chapel
at the American Institute of Architects. {{National Register of Historic Places Churches in Arkansas Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Arkansas Chapels in the United States Churches completed in 1980 Buildings and structures in Eureka Springs, Arkansas Tourist attractions in Carroll County, Arkansas National Register of Historic Places in Carroll County, Arkansas

Background

Structure and status

Honors and awards

See also

References

Further reading

External links