Meuse Argonne Chapel

3D Model

Architect Luis Ayres designed this chapel in the Romanesque style. It was finished in 1932. Above the main entrance is a sculptured bas-relief in which the figures represent Grief and Remembrance. Enter the chapel through the large doors to behold an alcove with an altar circled by United States and Allied nations’ flags. Subdued light washes through stained glass insignias of American divisions and over the marble floor.

The walls of both loggias are carved with the names of 954 American soldiers who died in this region, or in other parts of the world, including Russia, who are commemorated here, but whose remains were never recovered. The west loggia displays an ornamental map showing the land captured by each of the American divisions during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. The floors of the pavilions point directional arrows to prominent features of the landscape. The famous German defensive position known as the Hindenburg Line ran along the ridge behind the chapel.