Thorncrown Chapel

There's an old folk saying about the Ozarks: "It's not that the mountains are so high, it's just that the valleys are so deep."

It's true, the mountains of northwest Arkansas are breathtaking. The drive over to Eureka Springs is curvy with very few places to actually pull over to enjoy the view. One glance off the road and you might just end up down in the holler!

Highway 62 is a beautiful drive, the White River flows down from Beaver Lake Dam. The clear blue water is so cold, you can't bear to put your feet in it more than a few minutes!

Hard to match Mother Nature's beauty, but just a few miles up the road, just outside of Eureka Springs sets a glass chapel that rivals Nature's majesty.

Thorncrown Chapel was designed by Arkansas architect E. Fay Jones in 1978 and opened two years later in 1980. The 48 foot tall wooden structure has 425 windows and sets in the midst of nature. The dream of retired school teacher Jim Reed, he wanted a place for visitors of Eureka Springs to worship.

Recently, members of the American Institute of Architects placed Thorncrown Chapel 4th on its list of the top buildings of the twentieth century.

Inside the exactness of the design is awe inspiring. Everywhere you look, this woodland sanctuary takes your breath away.

Structure or Nature, one of the rare times that they are equal.

Thorncrown Chapel.com