Chapel of the Holy Cross

The Chapel of the Holy Cross is Sedona's most recognizable building and one of the great pieces of mid-century sacred architecture in America: a narrow concrete chapel set into a red rock outcrop south of town, its entire front wall formed by a towering cross that frames a window onto the valley. It was the vision of Marguerite Brunswig Staude, a sculptor and rancher who wanted to build a church that expressed faith through modern design; after an earlier plan for a site in Europe fell through, she chose this spot in Red Rock Country, and the chapel was completed in 1956, designed by the San Francisco firm Anshen and Allen. The building looks almost impossibly anchored between two pinnacles, and the experience is all about that setting. You park at the foot of the rock and walk up a fairly steep paved ramp to the entrance, where the views over the Village of Oak Creek, Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte are already superb. Inside, the chapel is small and simple: rows of pews, candles you can light, and a huge window behind the altar looking out at the red rocks. It is an active Catholic chapel within the Diocese of Phoenix, so visitors are asked to keep voices low and dress respectfully; a gift shop sits below. Admission is free. Visit Sedona lists the chapel as open daily from 9am to 5pm, with last car in at 4:30pm and closures on some holidays, and a Taizé prayer service on Monday evenings. Parking is limited and the access road is narrow, so mornings are best, and in busy periods you may wait for a space or be directed to overflow parking further down.

Staude's story is worth knowing before you go. She had imagined a cathedral in the shape of a cross for decades, inspired by the modern architecture she had seen in New York, and her project in Hungary was halted by the war. Years later, with her family's ranch in Sedona, she secured a site on Coconino National Forest land through a special-use permit, and the chapel was built in eighteen months. The design won an architecture award soon after it opened, and the building has since been named one of the Seven Man-Made Wonders of Arizona. It is not a parish church — there are no regular weekend Masses — but a place of prayer that welcomes visitors of every faith and none.

How to visit. Arrive in the morning, when the light is soft on the rock and the parking lot is quieter; afternoons and weekends bring tour buses and lines. The ramp from the lot to the door is short but steep, so allow extra time if anyone in your group has mobility concerns, and ask staff about assistance. Photography is fine outside, but be discreet inside, and be ready to wait a moment for a clear shot of the cross from the plaza. The terrace around the chapel looks out over the Village of Oak Creek, the Two Nuns and Madonna formations just above, and the homes of the Chapel area below, some of the most dramatically sited houses in Sedona.

The chapel fits neatly into a south-side loop. Combine it with Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte a few minutes south on SR 179, Cathedral Rock just across the valley, and Tlaquepaque on the way back into town. Many jeep and van tours stop here too, including Pink Jeep's paved Chapel Bells tour, which is a good choice for travelers who do not want to drive the narrow access road. During the holiday season, the chapel's candlelit interior and red rock setting are especially moving, and Christmas brings extra visitors; plan around holiday closures. Whatever your beliefs, give yourself a few quiet minutes in the pews facing the window. The view through the cross is the point.