While Resurrection Cemetery in Justice, Illinois, is famous for Resurrection Mary, a vanishing hitchhiker who supposedly still lingers at the cemetery’s main gate and is known to catch rides down Archer Road before disappearing, there is something far more interesting inside. The 1960s mausoleum is a modern architectural masterpiece, full of walls composed almost entirely of Dalle de Verre stained glass, specifically 2,248 individual panels. According to the Guinness Book of World Records the stained glass walls in the mausoleum, at 22,381 sq feet, are the largest glass installation in the world. The second and third floor “Chapel” and “Shine” levels are dominated by these window-walls full of brilliant colors, which reflect all over the marble walls and floors.
And these aren’t just any stained glass windows. Visitors can see dinosaurs roaming through the Garden of Eden, jet airplanes flying over a city of skyscrapers, and an actual atomic explosion. While the interior is quite atmospheric and beautiful, it can also be quite eerie. The combination of a large-scale building and empty hallways full of retro furniture (oh, and vaults full of dead bodies) might be the reason. But don’t let that stop you. Though I may add, the two times I visited this place, I was with friends.
