Antarctica is an amazing giant continent at the south pole of our globe. Braving winter temperatures of over a hundred degrees Fahrenheit below zero, a few thousand people live there at any given time. And because, like most people, they have spiritual needs, there are a number of chapels at various government bases.
It just so happens that the southernmost chapel (of any religion) is a Catholic chapel at the Argentinian Belgrano II Base (still over 800 miles from the south pole). And it has a unique attribute: it is carved out of pure ice.
That’s right, it’s in a permanent ice cave.
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Here’s a look:
The first Belgrano base was built in the 1950s, but had to be abandoned since the ice on which it was built wasn’t stable enough. Finding good places for permanent bases is tough since 98% of Antartica is covered in ice. Fortunately, the Argentine government found about a hectare of ice-free land close by, and Belgrano II Base was opened in 1979.
Nonetheless, in some ice nearby, people dug out a system of tunnels, and built a Catholic chapel inside. It is still apparently used by scientists working on the base today.
Here is what the entrance to the tunnels looks like:
Would you be willing to go in?
And here’s what part of the tunnel system looks like inside:
You wouldn’t want to get stuck in there.
And here are some more pictures of the chapel:
Isn’t this amazing? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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