#2 – (8/28) Mercedes Garcia – Thorncrown Chapel

I’m honestly not too familiar with the history of Thorncrown Chapel but I visited this building less than a year ago and it made an impression on me. Even though there are signs for it on the road, Thorncrown itself seems like it is trying to be illusive. It is very firmly in the forest and it is much smaller than the picture suggests, meaning that if there wasn’t a road leading right up to it you could miss it altogether. The architect of the building must have had the seclusion of the forest in mind while designing this chapel because the thick air of quiet outside is doubly reinforced on the inside. While this space is open to rent (mostly for wedding ceremonies), there are no real services given here. Rather, they are open for private worship. This made being inside the chapel very stifling. There is a lady posted at the door here who is there only to ask you to be quiet (both as you enter and once you inevitably break her one rule). This clashed so much with the feeling of excitement that I felt at having stumbled across this building. Nonetheless, I enjoyed seeing it and this off-putting somberness of the space was probably intended.