Frozen Chosen

In Balea Lac, Romania, local artisans and parishoners have put the finishing touches on a church they built out of solid ice--igloo-style! The architectural wonder, located in the Faragras Mountains of Transylvania about 190 miles northwest of Bucharest was dedicated on Epiphany Day January 6.

The cruciform chapel is a part of an "ice complex," including an ice hotel and an ice restaurant. According to one Romanian travel site, the complex is "an emerging tourist destination, on par with similar ice ventures in Sweden, Canada and Japan." All the component parts of the complex--walls, corridors, pillars, decorations, and even the hotel's beds--are built entirely out of ice. The hotel boasts "a hip, moody ice bar, with drinks served in ice glasses, and adorned with sculpture models of works by famous Romanian artist Constantin Brancusi."

And I thought I was cold this Sunday morning!