Aisne Marne Chapel

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Ralph Adams Cram submitted designs to the American Battle Monuments Commission for this chapel back in 1926, which was finished up by 1932. The French Romanesque-style memorial stands proudly on the front line where American troops clashed with enemy forces during the Aisne-Marne Offensive. Directly uphill from the memorial lies a woodland area where fierce battles raged at Belleau Wood, including hand-to-hand combat, poison gas attacks and intense assaults against entrenched machine gun nests that lasted for 20 non-stop days. Among the many World War I battlefields, this one remains remarkably intact, untouched by urban development. As you step inside, a gleaming golden altar catches your eye, surrounded by three stunning stained-glass windows depicting St. Michael victorious over evil, St. Louis leading his crusade, and St. Denis, patron saint of France. The chapel walls bear the names of 1,060 brave soldiers and Marines who lost their lives in this very area.