In the Wichita Mountains of southwestern Oklahoma is an unusual attraction known as the Holy City of the Wichitas. The site was created in the 1930s as the setting for an annual Easter passion play, with the surrounding rocky landscape helping recreate the appearance of the Holy Land. The Easter pageant became enormously popular during its early years, at one point attracting crowds numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Above are the exterior and interior of the site’s chapel.
The Holy City contains a collection of stone buildings, walls, gateways, and other structures representing locations associated with biblical Jerusalem and the life of Jesus. Rather than being an actual historic settlement, the site was designed as a large outdoor stage where different scenes from the Easter story could be performed against the Wichita Mountains. Above on the left is one of the site’s religious monuments, while on the right is the structure known as the Gateway Into Jerusalem.
It’s a small place and doesn’t require much time to explore, but the combination of biblical architecture and the rugged Wichita Mountains makes the Holy City one of the more unusual attractions I came across while traveling through Oklahoma. Even outside the annual Easter performance, visitors can walk around the grounds, explore the stone structures, and enjoy the surrounding mountain scenery.
Explore More of Oklahoma
Oklahoma City • the Holy City • the Tallgrass Prairie • the Wichita Mountains • Tulsa
