Misadventures in Colorado - Air Force Academy Chapel

A few weeks ago, I had an opportunity to visit the U. S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. There really was not all that much to see that was open to the public, but one of the highlights was the Academy Chapel. 

I have always loved visiting and touring churches and cathedrals. I don't know what it is about them, but I have always found the architecture to be beautiful. Despite it's modern style, the Academy Chapel is no exception. Here are a few shots I took of the exterior.

Once I finally went into the Protestant Chapel, which is the main sanctuary of the building, I was in complete awe. The different colors of the stained glass along with the modern design made for an absolutely beautiful scene and made for some awesome photos. These are just a few of my favorites.

Then I went downstairs to the Catholic chapel. Although it's not as grand as the Protestant chapel, it is just as beautiful. I liked the feel of this chapel more as it felt more quaint and intimate. But, as you can see, for the most part it mirrors the style of the Protestant chapel.

Then I continued the tour over to the Jewish chapel. You can sort of tell from the picture, but the entire room is purple from the stained glass on the outside. It was very pretty. There are also some cool artifacts here as well. There is the Holocaust Torah scroll from Poland that was saved from the Nazis and the entire floor is paved in Jerusalem Brownstone that was donated to the Academy by the Israeli Defense Forces when the chapel was dedicated.

Just to the outside of the Jewish chapel is the Buddhist meditation room. There really was not that much information about what was on the inside of the room or on what to do, only that all faiths were welcome to pray and meditate inside and to take your shoes off before entering. So, I physically didn't go in... only leaned across the threshold to snap a few pictures.

All in all, I was very pleased with the Chapel. I usually don't care for modern architecture in churches, but here, it worked well. The outside is so impressive that I couldn't resist taking a few more photos on my way out.