The Chapel of the Holy Cross is the Roman Catholic chapel built into the red rock buttes south of Sedona, completed in 1956, with a 90-foot iron cross on its face and a view across the Verde Valley through the window behind the altar. It is free to visit, open every day from 9 to 5, and draws more than a million visitors a year, which makes parking the only hard part of a visit. Hours, Mass times, the new shuttle and parking advice below were checked against the chapel’s own website on October 26, 2026.
Sedona’s Best Quick Answer
Open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., last entry 4:45. Admission is free; donations keep it running. Mass is Wednesday and Friday at 3 p.m., with Adoration from noon and Confession from 1; a Taize prayer service is Monday at 5 p.m. Weekend Masses are at the parish church, St. John Vianney, not at the chapel. The lot holds about 45 cars, so come at opening or in the last hour, or ride the $2 Sedona Shuttle Connect from the Mystic Trailhead stop. Plan 30 to 45 minutes, and wear shoes that can handle a steep concrete ramp.
About the Chapel of the Holy Cross
The chapel was commissioned by Marguerite Brunswig Staude, a rancher and sculptor who had studied with Frank Lloyd Wright. She first tried to build a modern church in Budapest in the 1930s, a plan the Second World War ended, and then turned to her own Arizona, determined to show that sacred architecture could be contemporary without losing its soul.
Built between 1954 and 1956, the chapel rises 200 feet above the valley floor on a spur of red sandstone inside the Coconino National Forest. The 90-foot cross on the southwest wall is both the facade and the structure; inside, it frames the altar and the corpus. Architectural Digest has listed it among the ten most beautiful churches in the world, it was voted one of the Seven Man-Made Wonders of Arizona in 2007, and it joined the National Register of Historic Places in 2011. It belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix and is run by St. John Vianney Parish in Sedona, which named it an official Jubilee site for the 2025 Holy Year. The chapel also holds relics of the Twelve Apostles and keeps candles you can light for someone.
Visitor Information
- Address: 780 Chapel Road, Sedona, AZ 86336
- Phone: (928) 282-4069 (chapel) or (928) 282-7545
- Hours: Daily 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., last entry 4:45 p.m.
- Admission: Free. Donations support the chapel, including the current campaign to restore the historic entry ramp.
- Gift shop: Daily 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the lower level, run by the parish; closed Christmas Day and Easter Sunday
- Parking: Free but very limited, about 45 spaces at the base of the ramp
- Shuttle: Sedona Shuttle Connect, the city’s on-demand service, added the chapel in November 2025. Riders are dropped at the Mystic Trailhead stop; book in the TransLoc app or at (928) 203-5152; $2 a ride, $1 for riders 60 and over
Mass and Services at the Chapel
- Wednesday and Friday: Adoration 12:00 to 3:00 p.m., Confession 1:00 to 2:30 p.m., Mass 3:00 p.m.
- Every first Friday: the 3 p.m. Mass is a healing Mass; prayer teams are on site the first and third Fridays
- Monday: Taize prayer service at 5:00 p.m.
- Weekend Masses: at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Sedona, the parish that runs the chapel, not at the chapel itself
The Friday Mass is streamed on the chapel’s Facebook and YouTube pages. Services are occasionally cancelled for events, so check chapeloftheholycross.com or call before planning a visit around Mass.
How to Get There
From the Y, where State Routes 89A and 179 meet, drive south on 179 for about four miles and turn left on Chapel Road; the chapel is at the end. It is a stop on the Red Rock Scenic Byway and sits a few minutes from Bell Rock and the Village of Oak Creek. If the lot is full, which it is most of the day in spring and fall, loop back later or use the shuttle rather than parking on Chapel Road.
What to Expect on Your Visit
From the parking area a long curved concrete ramp climbs about a tenth of a mile to the door. Most people walk it in a few minutes, but it is steep enough that comfortable shoes matter, and volunteers sometimes run a golf cart for visitors who cannot manage the climb. The ramp is the subject of the chapel’s current restoration appeal.
Inside, the chapel is deliberately plain: a bronze Madonna at the entrance, the figure of Christ above the altar, and the view through the floor-to-ceiling window behind it. Most visitors spend 15 to 30 minutes inside and longer on the terrace for the view, which takes in Bell Rock, Courthouse Butte and Cathedral Rock.
Tips for Visiting
- Go early or late. The lot fills from mid-morning to mid-afternoon on weekends; opening time and the last hour are the calm windows and the best light.
- No restrooms inside. Portable toilets are at the base of the hill.
- No food, drinks or pets inside.
- Photography is allowed inside with quiet and discretion; the exterior from Chapel Road is one of the most photographed views in Arizona.
- Make a half day of it. Bell Rock and Cathedral Rock are both minutes away on the byway; our hiking guide has the trail details.
Why the Chapel Is a Must-See
If you have time for one cultural site in Sedona, make it this one. Few places in the Southwest put architecture, faith and landscape together at this scale, and it costs nothing but a steep walk. For the rest of the list, see our things to do in Sedona guide.
Chapel of the Holy Cross FAQ
What are the Chapel of the Holy Cross hours?
The chapel is open every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the last entry at 4:45 p.m. The gift shop on the lower level is open 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and closes on Christmas Day and Easter Sunday.
Do you need tickets for the Chapel of the Holy Cross?
No. Admission is free and there are no tickets or timed entries. Donations are welcome and support the chapel’s upkeep, including the restoration of the entry ramp.
When is Mass at the Chapel of the Holy Cross?
Mass is celebrated Wednesday and Friday at 3 p.m., preceded by Adoration from noon and Confession from 1 to 2:30. A Taize prayer service is held Monday at 5 p.m. Weekend Masses are at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Sedona, not at the chapel.
Is parking hard at the Chapel of the Holy Cross?
Yes. The free lot has about 45 spaces and fills most of the day in spring and fall. Arrive at 9 a.m. or after 4 p.m., or take Sedona Shuttle Connect, the city’s $2 on-demand shuttle, which drops riders at the Mystic Trailhead stop.
How long does a visit take, and is it accessible?
Most visits take 30 to 45 minutes. The only way up is a steep concrete ramp about a tenth of a mile long; volunteers sometimes offer a golf cart ride for visitors who cannot manage it. There are no restrooms inside, only portable toilets at the base.