Chapel in the Hills

Chapel in the Hills
Religion
AffiliationEvangelical Lutheran Church in America
Year consecrated1969
Location
LocationRapid City, South Dakota, United States
Geographic coordinates44°02′54″N 103°17′55″W / 44.048398°N 103.298714°W / 44.048398; -103.298714
Architecture
Architect(s)Spitznagel and Partners
StyleStave church
General contractorDilly Construction Company
Groundbreaking1968
Completed1969
Chapel in the Hills
Location3788 Chapel Ln.
Rapid City, South Dakota
NRHP reference No.12000487[1]
Added to NRHPAugust 7, 2012
Website
Chapel in the Hills

Chapel in the Hills is a stave church located near Rapid City, South Dakota, United States.

History

Visitor center

The Chapel in the Hills was dedicated on July 6, 1969, as the home for the radio ministry of Lutheran Vespers. Lutheran Vespers hosts such as, Richard A. Jensen were broadcast nationwide from this location in the Black Hills. The church is a special ministry of the South Dakota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.[2]

The Chapel in the Hills is an exact replica of the Borgund stave church in Norway. The Borgund stavkirke was built around the year 1150 and is considered the most completely preserved stave church still standing in Norway.

Inside the log cabin museum

The Norwegian Department of Antiquities provided a set of blueprints of the Borgund church to be used in the construction of the Chapel in the Hills. The woodcarvings resulted from the combined effort by Norwegian woodcarver Erik Fridstrøm and Rapid City resident, Helge Christiansen.[3]

The site includes an authentic log cabin museum that was built in 1876 by Edward Nielsen, a Norwegian immigrant gold prospector from Hole, Ringerike, Norway. There is also a stabbur, a grass-roofed house, that serves as the visitor center and gift shop.

References

  1. ^ "Weekly list of actions taken on properties: 8/06/12 through 8/10/12". National Park Service. August 17, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
  2. ^ About the Chapel in the Hills Archived February 27, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "History of the Chapel in the Hills". Chapel in the Hills. Retrieved February 27, 2018.

Other sources

  • Malmin, Olaf Gabriel Chapel in the Hills : A notable church structure in Rapid City, South Dakota (Rapid City, 1969)
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chapel in the Hills, Rapid City.