The Bella Donna Chapel is the 8th wonder of the World!
It has history of its own and has been creating its legacy as a place of God since the moment when the idea of it first entered the thoughts of her developers: Mr, & Mrs Jeff Blackard's, in 2005.
The Chapel is named after Mrs. Donna Blackard, and its name ''Bella Donna'' in Italian means ''Beautiful Lady''.
The Chapel is not just a venue named ''Chapel'', but it is a true church. In its foundation a copy of the Bible has been placed, and then the church was built on top of it. This Chapel truly stands on the word of God.
Its architecture is so unique, and truly resembles the stone buildings from the 1500's from the southern Europe of that time: from Croatia and Italy on the shores of the Adriatic Sea., When you see it, you'll realize that each stone has been laid by hand by stonemasons, the same way the builders did 500 years ago. The Chapel stands on an island, and to reach it, you'd walk on a bridge over the water, a bridge also built the old-fashioned way: one stone hand placed on top of another. Before you reach the building, you'll pass under a beautiful hand-crafted wrought-iron gate, and just a few more steps down a pathway the splendid cypress trees will come into sight, and you'll feel like you are in another world. And that's before you even entered the chapel.
There is a saying that goes like that: '' Life is not made of breaths alone, but of moments that take our breath away''. Get ready, because you're about to reach such moments, prepared to be awed!
Approaching the door you'll ask yourself if you've been transported to Europe, to XVI century Florence or Rome, or Zadar, Split, or Dubrovnik in Croatia. In front of your eyes there will be a hand-carved door, that's larger than life, and above the door, there is a relief sculpture of Jesus, with His hands opened wide as to welcome you to enter. It is truly a breathtaking moment!
There are no words to describe the ambiance of the inside of the chapel; the word ''marvelous'' would come short here. Walking on white and gray marble tiles floor, you can admire the wooden pews like people used to sit in in churches for 100's of years, above will be grand chandeliers, that will try to compete with its artificial lights, with the charming, subtle candlelight, and the beauty of large windows on both sides, showing the landscapes of trees, the lake, and buildings in the distance. But the sure winner in this light-competitions will be the tall, gothic stained-glass windows behind the altar, which glimmer with the outside sunshine that is gently filtered in through the gold-colored mosaic of glass.
And then, overpowered with awe, you take a place in a pew, to catch a glimpse of the other elements, amazing art and carefully selected moments of beauty of the chapel.
The inside has influences of the ''Old World'', of the Byzantium era in Southern Europe that existed for a thousand years, Above the Altar is the cupola, a round shaped ceiling usually built in a dome shaped roof, like the Florence Basilica designed by Brunelleschi in 1296. At the center of the cupola is a painting of a dove - a symbol of the Holy Spirit. On both sides of the altar are enormous frescos of mighty Angels. Nowadays you'd have to visit a museum to see a small fresco, It is the most difficult form of painting, that requires a Master artist, because the painting is created on wet plaster. In 1508-1512 Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel in Rome in that style. But you don't have to travel to Rome to see a fresco, for if you sit in the Bella Donna chapel in McKinney, there is a gorgeous fresco right before your eyes.
And when you raise your eyes higher, you'll see a Byzantine Iconostasis - a row of paintings of the most important people in the history of the church, and between the paintings, you'll notice the ancient Greek column, with ancient Roman style arches connecting them.
And it is just you and the presence of God...
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