USAFA'S Catholic Chapel

HERITAGE MINUTE

Occupying the bulk of the Cadet Chapel’s lower level is the Catholic Chapel. Called Our Lady of the Skies, the space was designed to give the impression of being a grotto. ----more----

The walls are made of panels of amber glass, giving the effect of dust and dirt. The glass is set between aluminum strips that amplify the sound of the wind. The Chapel seats 500, with room for another 100 in the choir loft. The screen behind the altar measures 18 by 45 feet. It portrays the coming together of all elements of the universe. It contains two ten-foot-tall Italian Carrera marble figures, the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Archangel Gabriel. The marble was drawn from the same quarries used by Michelangelo. The altar, which is also made of Italian marble, is covered by a baldachin (bald-a-kin) like those that would be used to provide protection from dripping water in a grotto. The six-foot-tall crucifix on display is made of nickel-silver. The mold used to make it was broken after casting. The Catholic Chapel has 14 Stations of the Cross carved from four-inch marble slabs – also Italian marble. The backgrounds are made of multi-colored tiles, and each contains a small cross made of olive wood from the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. The organ, designed by Walter Holtkamp, is comprised of 1,950 pipes made of wood, various alloys of tin and lead, and polished copper. The vestibule features four stone pieces representing Saints Matthew, John, Mark, and Luke. They were carved by Scott Davis using marble from . . . Colorado!

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