From the Danube to the desert – a church on the move

Before the aura reader told me that I should visit the solar plexus vortex, I’d already been. I can’t say I was strangely drawn to it for any reason out of the ordinary. It’s at the site of a church and I’m drawn to churches. Solar plexus or no solar plexus. And this church is a little more unusual than most in that the plans were drawn up long before the site was found and it was originally meant to be built in Budapest. Small world.

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Way back in 1932,  a woman by the name of  Marguerite Brunswig Staude was looking at the Empire State Building in New York. Somewhere, in this edifice, she saw a cross. And from this got the idea of building a church that would also have a cross as its core. She showed her design to Lloyd Wright and he worked on it with her to further develop it. In 1937, they were ready, and the Chapel of the Holy Cross was to be built in Budapest, Hungary, overlooking the Danube.

But the war came and the dream shattered. But she got to thinking… why not build such a shrine in the USA? Why should Europe have a monopoly on shrines? It would take 24 years for her dream to come true but finally, on a spur 250 feet high that sticks out of a 1000 foot rock wall, Marguerite built her church in Oak Creek, Sedona. Her wish? That the Church might come to light in the souls of men. And so it did, in 1956, the year of the Hungarian revolution.

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4 responses

    1. Really lovely – amazing location – God only knows what it took to build it there – seems like it’s hanging off a cliff…

  1. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, It has to be great and Architecture. When you return to Europe try visiting the chapel at Ronchamp, the monastery at La Tourette, and another chapel (name escapes at the moment) all designed by Le Corbussier. Truly ARCHITECTURE, and very spiritual.
    Unfortunately a smallish convent has been built on the site at Ronchamp, designed by Renzo Piano, (he of the London Shard ) possibly a good building but Architecture it “Aint” !!
    C

    1. Only my list – not that I’d know architecture if it hit me in the face – but I know what I like…. clean, simple lines.

Leave a Reply

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4 responses

    1. Really lovely – amazing location – God only knows what it took to build it there – seems like it’s hanging off a cliff…

  1. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, It has to be great and Architecture. When you return to Europe try visiting the chapel at Ronchamp, the monastery at La Tourette, and another chapel (name escapes at the moment) all designed by Le Corbussier. Truly ARCHITECTURE, and very spiritual.
    Unfortunately a smallish convent has been built on the site at Ronchamp, designed by Renzo Piano, (he of the London Shard ) possibly a good building but Architecture it “Aint” !!
    C

    1. Only my list – not that I’d know architecture if it hit me in the face – but I know what I like…. clean, simple lines.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.