by Sheila O'Connor

veryone wants a wedding that's memorable, that's for sure. And not only will a wedding here be memorable, it'll be pretty unusual as well. That's because "here" is the romantic Thorncrown Chapel located on Highway 62 West, three miles outside of Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

This stunning edifice is 48 feet high and rises dramatically from the woodlands that surround it. It contains 425 windows and over 6000 square feet of sparkling glass.

… "one of the finest religious spaces of modern times."

The chapel's simple design with its majestic and regal beauty has caused it to be termed "one of the finest religious spaces of modern times." It's not surprising that awards have been bestowed upon it and the chapel won the American Institute of Architecture's Design of the Year Award in 1981. Its 5 million visitors would no doubt agree the award was well deserved.

So just how did this beautiful building come about? It was in fact the dream of Jim Reed, a native of Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Jim bought the land in 1971 with the idea of building his retirement home here. However, he found that so many people were stopping at this area to admire the Ozark hills that, rather than fencing them out, he decided to welcome them in. He would do that by building a chapel of glass to enhance people's viewing.

Construction of his dream began in 1979, but half way through, the project money ran out and it looked like the chapel would not come to fruition. At that point, Jim says, he prayed "I'm not proud of the fact, but the first time I ever got down on my knees was on the chapel floor. I prayed more seriously then ever before. All the trials and tribulations gave me the humility to get on my knees".

And that humility led him to meeting a woman from Illinois who answered his prayers with a loan. On July 1980 Thorncrown Chapel was finally opened, much to the joy of the hordes of visitors who came to see the glass chapel in the woods.
These days you can visit the chapel free of charge, take a restful break and just enjoy the peace and tranquility that it offers. Sunday services are held here April through mid-December. A limited number of wedding are carried out each year. Limited, but nonetheless, very spiritual and very, very special.

Thorncrown Chapel: www.thorncrown.com.

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