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While mainly serving as places of worship, chapels and cathedrals on college campuses are landmarks of historic value. Traditionally, massive cathedrals in many US colleges beautifully resemble the architectural wonders of Europe. Most college chapels, while smaller, appear to be inclusive of all religious views and non-denominational.
Importance of Chapels and Cathedrals on College Campuses
Offer support and minister to young believers.
On-campus ministries provide local churches with the opportunity to partner with bigger national organizations to grow and support thriving groups of young believers. The church likely has a college ministry and intentionally reaches out to local groups.
Help students grow their faith.
Striving to meet the demands of their undergraduate program, Christian students living away from their religious homes develop independent living that could potentially become devoid of church attendance. A chapel or cathedral on campus offers students the support they need as they carry their faith into college.
Give students a place to pray—should they feel the need.
For Christian believers, college chapels and cathedrals serve a significant purpose in a student’s life. College is a time for individuals to explore and find answers to their curious minds, exposing them to non-Christian worldviews and theories. With a college church, they can easily attend, and students retain or nurture their faith as they can easily attend church services anytime they can.
Chapels Hold Religious Services for many Reasons
Chapels and cathedrals hold the following to encourage students to attend religious services:
- Hold virtual church services and regular faith gatherings.
- Grow a youth ministry.
- Form a Bible Club.
- Hold fundraising, volunteer work, and similar peer-to-peer campaigns.
- Partner with local churches.
America’s Most Beautiful Chapels and Cathedrals On College Campuses
Duke University Chapel in Durham, NC
The Chapel was designed first and constructed last among the original structures at Duke University. This majestic facility stands 210 feet in the middle of the campus.
The Chapel’s English Gothic architecture is not based on any specific cathedral, college chapel, or parish church. Horace Trumbauer from Philadelphia and Julian Abele were the architects of the Chapel. The Chapel took more than two years to build, and the cornerstone was placed on October 22, 1930.
James B. Duke’s wish for a “great towering church” has been fulfilled by Duke University Chapel, which is now an internationally recognized emblem of the university. As a result, it provides an amazing venue for important occasions in the university’s and its members’ lives.
The Chapel, a powerful representation of faith on campus, is a fitting organization to serve as Duke’s moderator of religious life. All of the official Religious Life organizations on campus that cater to students are supported and convened by The Chapel in collaboration with the Division of Student Affairs.
These organizations and groups include other religions such as Catholic, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, Protestant, and Jewish. Chapel programs give students a chance to discover various religions while they delve into their own.
Lewis and Clark College Agnes Flanagan Chapel in Portland, OR
As one approaches the main campus of Lewis & Clark College via Palatine Hill Road, the Agnes Flanagan Chapel is among the first structures that one sees. Agnes Flanagan, a college trustee whose vision, zeal, and generosity made the chapel’s construction possible, is honored and remembered by the chapel’s name. The chapel was completed in the fall of 1968 and was dedicated the next year.
Architect Paul Thiry is responsible for the chapel’s striking conical shape and modern lines, which have a strong Native American influence from the Northwest Coast. The four evangelists are carved around the Wallace Howe Lee Memorial Bridge, which connects the chapel entrance to the road.
Cherokee tribal chief Lelooska created these figurines by fusing Northwest Coast Native American symbolism with old Christian symbolism.
With 460 seats, a magnificent Casavant organ, and stained glass windows depicting Genesis’ creation story, the chapel’s interior is exquisite. In the center of the chapel, the chapel’s pinnacle holds the majority of the more than 5,000 pipes in the Casavant organ’s 85 ranks. When it comes to the stained glass windows of this chapel, they were designed by the world-famous artist Gabriel Loire of Chartres from France.
Williams College Thompson Memorial Chapel in Williamstown, MA
This 8-foot cross was designed and created by assistant professor of Art H. Lee Hirsche for the Thompson Memorial Chapel. In order to create the “crown of thorns,” Mr. Hirsche welded thousands of bronze 2-inch rods at different angles to the solid major axes of the cross. Only the back of the cross is in contact with the bronze rods, which “float” inside the walnut frame.
The Thompson Memorial Chapel was erected in 1904 to honor Frederick Ferris Thompson. Wells in the southwest of England is the inspiration for the tower. And the major architect of this magnificent chapel is Francis Richmond Allen.
As for the chapel windows, these were created at the studio in Birmingham, England, by John Hardman and Company and equipped by the Church Decorating Company of New York. This chapel serves as a haven for spiritual travelers and a place to store the prayers of those seeking comfort and hope. All seekers and guests are welcome, regardless of their religious background.
The sacredness of this place is where faith and uncertainty, beliefs and doubts, assurance and desire all belong. I pray that this time here is a blessing for you and that you will eventually be a blessing to others.
University of St. Thomas Chapel of St. Basil in Houston, TX
If you love architecture, you’ll easily fall in love with the University of St. Thomas Chapel of St. Basil. This chapel consists of geometric shapes like spheres, cubes, and planes. The main seating space and most of the building are contained within the cube, with the dome rising high above it. The cube is divided by the granite plane, allowing light to enter the church. The way the cube and plane interact with the dome gives the impression that it is an entrance to the sky rather than a closing vault atop the Chapel.
The Chapel itself stands out from all the other buildings on campus because it is made of black granite and white stucco, whereas the other buildings’ exteriors are made of rose-colored brick. The Chapel dominates the entire campus due to its height.
Located at the top of the building, the gold dome announces the Christian character of the institution and is visible from a great distance from huge buildings in the medical center, uptown, and downtown.
Designed by the late Philip Johnson, the Chapel of St. Basil is a work of art that was finished in 1997. The chapel bears the name of St. Basil the Great, a fourth-century bishop of what is now Turkey, in observance of the University’s Basilian heritage.
The chapel is known for its geometric features, which come with a 50-foot white stucco cube that serves as the church’s body, a spherical dome, and a black granite plane that connects the cube and the dome.
Rutgers University Kirkpatrick Chapel in New Brunswick, NJ
As the eighth-oldest university in the country, Kirkpatrick Chapel is part of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, which was founded as Queen’s College in 1766. Henry Janeway Hardenbergh built the chapel in 1873 as a memorial to Sophia Astley Kirkpatrick, who was Littleton Kirkpatrick’s wife and a trustee of Rutgers College. She named Rutgers College a residuary legatee, and the chapel was built in part by her $61,000 donation.
This was the first estate that an institution in New Jersey ever inherited. Henry Janeway Hardenbergh designed this chapel, and he was the great-great-grandson of the college’s first president, Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh. At the time, Henry was just starting his promising career. He would go on to design several notable structures, like some apartments and hotels in New York City.
Louis Comfort Tiffany’s workshops produced four of the chapel windows in the late 1800s. The New Jersey Historic Trust calls the chapel, which is made of New Jersey brownstone, “an excellent example of High Victorian Gothic ecclesiastical architecture.”
University of Florida Baughman Center in Gainesville, FL
In the center of the University of Florida campus sits the magnificent, graceful Baughman Center, a place for introspection. The lofty windows and delicate natural materials are designed to evoke the tranquil Florida surroundings, bringing the lovely outdoor atmosphere indoors. The Baughman Center is available for solitary reflection on weekdays and is regarded as one of the most serene and lovely locations in Gainesville.
Additionally, it regularly accommodates private gatherings like memorial services and weddings. This can be found in the center of the University of Florida campus and is often perceived as a sophisticated place for reflection for staff, students, and guests. The tall windows and delicate natural materials reflect the tranquil Florida surroundings, creating an interior that is intended to bring the lovely outdoor landscape indoors.
With its wooden paneled ceiling and travertine marble floors, this is one of Gainesville’s most serene and lovely locations. Weekdays are when the Baughman Center is open to the public for quiet reflection. It frequently hosts private events on the weekends, like memorial services and weddings. There is a staff office, a holding/ready room, and men’s and women’s restrooms in the administrative building.
University of Massachusetts-Amherst Old Chapel in Amherst, MA
UMass Amherst’s Old Chapel, built in 1885, is a historic building of national significance. Its original design included classrooms, an auditorium, and a library in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. In the 1960s, the Minuteman Marching Band lived there before it closed permanently in 1996.
Following its listing to the National Register of Historic Places in 2015, a $21 million renovation and preservation effort was undertaken to restore the Chapel to its former glory.
Reopened in 2017, the refurbished Chapel is now the initial point of contact for families and prospective students. Students, professors, and alumni enjoy events conducted in the Great Hall, including talks, dinners, celebrations, and weddings.
Lee Chapel in Washington and Lee University – Lexington, VA
The Victorian brick Lee Chapel was constructed in 1868 at the behest of Robert E. Lee, the president of the university at the time. It’s a modest brick building that can accommodate about six hundred people. Inside, the chapel’s central platform is adorned with a statue of Lee.
The statue, which Edward Valentine created, shows the general dozing off on the battlefield. In a crypt beneath the church, Lee’s immediate family is buried. When you check the National Register of Historic Places, you can see that Lee Chapel was listed in 1963.
The statue chamber comes with two paintings, a 1796 portrait of President George Washington by Gilbert Stuart and a later portrait of Lee by J. Reid. In order to reflect the historical periods of each university namesake’s association with the school, these were installed in 2018 in place of a portrait of Washington by Charles Willson Peale.
Additionally, a plaque honoring two Sigma alumni from the classes of 1912 and 1915 who died in World War I has been placed on one of the walls by the Sigma Society.
University of Chicago Rockefeller Chapel in Chicago, IL
One of John D. Rockefeller’s last and possibly most magnificent gifts to the University of Chicago was the Rockefeller Memorial Chapel. The chapel, which weighs 32,000 tons, is supported by 56 concrete piers that extend the foundations 80 feet below the floor, eliminating the need for structural steel.
A 72-bell carillon, the second-largest instrument of its kind in the world, and more than 100 stone sculptures are also featured throughout the edifice.
To this day, people still praise Rockefeller Chapel as one of the most stunning and magnificent religious buildings in the country. But the chapel is more than its attractive exterior.
It acts as the center of the University of Chicago’s spiritual life with its Interreligious Center. Sunday morning worship prayer spaces are reserved for Hindu and Muslim students and community members. It also comes with meditation areas, healing yoga, and shared meeting spaces for religious student organizations.
Rockefeller Chapel, named after the university’s founder, is a modern Gothic design with smooth walls and understated ornamentation that contrasts with the interior’s vaulted ceiling.
This chapel’s architect was Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue. He did not want the colors of the stained glass to overpower the subdued beauty of the sculptures, ceiling, woodworking, and ornaments, so he went for pastel colors of pale blue, yellow-green, amber, and mauve.
Valparaiso University Chapel of the Resurrection in Valparaiso, IN
Constructed in 1959, the Chapel of the Resurrection on the Valparaiso University campus is regarded as the largest collegiate chapel in the United States and the second-largest chapel globally.
This contemporary chapel, created by Charles Stade and Associates, has an apse with a ceiling structured like a nine-pointed star and a 98-foot circular chancel. Additionally, the 143-foot, 12-bell Brandt Campanile Tower is located there. Regular Lutheran services for students are held at the chapel, along with non-religious occasions, including recitals, marriages, concerts, and memorial ceremonies.
Charles Stade and Associates of Park Ridge, Illinois, were the building’s architects, while other designers worked on unique features, including the baptistry and stained glass windows. The entire cost of construction was $7.5 million.
It’s been stated that the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem served as some inspiration for the building’s architecture. Rather than the two portions being considered as one building, this layout places the chancel as the most important part of the structure, with the nave linked to it.
With a ceiling constructed like a nine-point star, the chancel of the Chapel of the Resurrection is circular and is 98 feet tall. The nave is 193 feet long by 58 feet high. Approximately 2,000 people can be seated.
Drury University Stone Chapel in Springfield, MO
Right from the first glance of this chapel, anyone can tell how dated it looks! The Stone Chapel at Drury University was built way back in 1880. It is the largest stone building in Springfield, Missouri, and most of the materials used for the structure are local Ozarks stone. Architects Williams & Franklin designed this chapel.
In the chapel, you can find the famous ancient Chalfant Organ, which is still being used today. Stone Chapel, which used to be the location of mandatory chapel services for university students, now organizes religious and secular events for the community and school.
There are about 510 chairs in the unique sanctuary on the second story. First-floor amenities include a big lounge, kitchenette, choir, and conference rooms.
Tufts University Goddard Chapel in Medford, MA
The architect of the structure was J. Phillip Rinn. Some parts of Tufts’ Metcalf Hall and the Barnum Museum of Natural History were also designed by him. The building’s architecture includes a porch on the east side and a hundred-foot bell tower and cloister for the chapel.
His structure’s inspiration is the Lombardic Romanesque style. Rinn had originally intended for ivy to cover the chapel in order to soften the starkness of the stonework. Some of the unique details of this chapel are the stained glass, ribbed ceilings, some Romanesque elements, and arched woodwork.
Cherry is used for the pews, pulpit, and roof ribs. Spruce makes up the paneling, and there are wooden floors everywhere. Quite surprisingly, all the original woodwork remains intact today. The chapel had a significant refurbishment in 2002.
The blue-painted chapel ceiling was restored to its original wood as part of the project. The cherry-stained wood embellishments and panels in front of the case pipes on the organ, which is situated on the left side of the chancel, were taken down to modernize it.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT Chapel in Cambridge, MA
The MIT Chapel was designed by the famous architect Eero Saarinen. A varied group of MIT students still use the cylindrical building as a place of prayer. Its distinctive and elegant form was meant to accommodate people of different faiths. The campus had previously used a more traditional architectural style. Therefore, the building’s distinctive appearance was novel.
Saarinen responded to criticism by saying that the windowless cylinder in the chapel “implied the self-contained, inward-feeling which was desirable” for a place of devotion. Its wavy inside walls, he observed, contributed to both a pleasant “enclosed feeling” and excellent acoustics.
The chapel appears as a straightforward, windowless brick cylinder surrounded by a very little concrete moat from the exterior. With an aluminum spire atop, it measures 50 feet in a circle by 30 feet in height. A sequence of short arches supports the brick. Saarinen used uneven and coarse bricks to provide the impression of texture.
Saarinen designed the entire area, which is situated inside two groves of London Plane Trees and has a lengthy wall to the east. The chapel is surrounded uniformly by the walls and trees, which also serve to separate the location from the commotion and noise of nearby buildings.
Fordham University Fordham University Church in Bronx, NY
After originally serving as a seminary chapel and parish church in 1845 in Old Fordham Village, the Fordham University Church was absorbed by the university in 1859 after the Jesuits acquired the university.
The University Church has several stained glass windows, and it houses the old altar from St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which was a gift by King Louis Philippe I. One of its amazing features is the windows because they are connected to a workshop in Sevres, France.
The original Fordham University Cemetery, which was situated on land that the New York Botanical Garden now owns, is next to the church. It was moved there in 1890 and is home to the university’s original nineteenth-century students, Jesuits, employees, and diocesan seminarians.
The focal point of worship for Fordham University’s campus ministry is the University Church; however, the Rose Hill campus is home to several chapels connected to the church.
Stanford University Stanford Memorial Church in Stanford, CA
The architectural centerpiece of the university is the Stanford Memorial Church, which is located in the middle of the campus. It was among the first interdenominational churches in the West and continues to be one of the most well-known. Jane Stanford constructed the church as a tribute to her late husband, Leland.
Senator and Mrs. Stanford built the University in honor of their son, Leland, Jr. Memorial Church has 1,200 seats available for general access. Built during the American Renaissance, Stanford Memorial Church is part of the intricate network of arcades that make up the Quad, which unifies the entire complex.
Reminiscent of European public spaces rather than American, it is deemed as an important Stanford structure. The church consists of different influences from the Renaissance, Pre-Raphaelites, Byzantine and Medieval art, and the Romanesque period.
Wake Forest University Wait Chapel in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
A structure on the Wake Forest University campus is called Wait Chapel. Named for the first president of the university, Samuel Wait, this building was the first to be built on the Reynolda campus in October 1956. Its steeple is 213 feet high. The chapel is located across from Reynolda Hall on the northern edge of Hearn Plaza.
Wait Chapel, with 2,250 seats, is the largest non-athletic indoor venue on the Reynolda Campus. Wait Chapel is equipped with the Williams Organ. The Harris Carillon, a great carillon with 48 cast bronze bells weighing 12 tons that are controlled classically, is also housed in the building.
Sunday services at Wake Forest Baptist Church are regularly held in the chapel by the congregation. The church’s decision to hold a same-sex commitment ceremony in the late 1990s caused controversy, and this decision was the focus of the documentary A Union in Wait. The chapel also hosted a Moravian love feast during the Christmas season. Other annual events held there include other religious ceremonies.
Carleton College Skinner Chapel in Northfield, MN
The most notable structure on the Carleton campus, Skinner Memorial Chapel, serves as the center of religious and spiritual life at Carleton University. The college and community can engage in interfaith discussion and worship in the chapel.
Many activities are held every week. For instance, the church comes with meditation classes, a Labyrinth walk, a Christian Vespers service, study groups, and a social justice gathering.
Fifty years after the College’s founding, in 1916, the chapel was constructed thanks to a donation from Emily Willey Skinner. The Patton, Holmes, and Flinn, which is a Chicago firm, was hired by President Donald J. Cowling to design nine buildings, including the chapel.
The structure has a towering bell tower and a Latin cross shape, both characteristic of English Gothic Revival architecture. The interior features dark beams and a ceiling made of dark wood. The National Register of Historic Places recognizes five campus structures, including this one.
In keeping with the donor’s wishes, Skinner Chapel was built with the town rather than the campus in order to represent the friendly links between Northfield and Carleton. Because of its layout, the chapel’s back wall serves as a backdrop for the Bald Spot, which is the center of the Carleton campus.
Rollins College Knowles Memorial Chapel in Winter Park, FL
The first few words of the book of Genesis are the source of the Rollins College motto, “Fiat Lux,” which means “let there be light.” The Knowles Memorial Chapel, a kind gift from Mrs. Frances Knowles Warren in remembrance of her father, Francis Bangs Knowles, serves as a tangible example of the slogan.
Francis Knowles was one of the many devoted members of the Congregational Church whose idea for the state’s first college—Rollins College—was realized in 1885. One of Rollins College’s early trustees and founders was Mr. Knowles. The chapel’s construction started in March 1931, and on March 19, 1932, it was dedicated. It was situated in the middle of the campus during that time.
The chapel was designed by the famous architect Ralph Adams Cram, from Boston’s Cram and Ferguson office. In addition, Mr. Cram was the architect of the University of Notre Dame Chapel and the Church of St. John the Divine in New York City. Weekly worship sessions, theology and scripture lectures, marital therapy, and sick visits are also offered.
In addition, the Dean conducts memorial ceremonies, burials, and christenings for Rollins community members.
Boston University Marsh Chapel in Boston, MA
Daniel L. Marsh, a former president of Boston University and Methodist clergyman, was honored with Marsh Chapel’s dedication in 1950. The chapel is officially non-denominational. However, it is closely associated with the Methodist Church. Architect Ralph Adams Cram created the structure in the Gothic Revival style.
Originally planned to have a bell tower named for Alexander Graham Bell, an alumni, the building was never built. The chapel was built only after the Second World War and the Great Depression. Ralph Adams Cram was chosen to design it. He used a Gothic design for the structure.
Collegiate Gothic architecture on American campuses came to an end with the chapel due to competition from Modernist and other architectural influences.
Cornell University Sage Chapel in Ithaca, NY
Sage Chapel is where Cornell University’s founders, Andrew Dickson White and Ezra Cornell, have rested. This chapel is a non-denominational Christian chapel located on campus. Two concert grand pianos, a baroque organ, and a pipe organ, are all present in the chapel.
It comes with a full audio package ready for events and activities to be held in the chapel. After Cornell University was created as a non-sectarian university, it was criticized for its perceived “godlessness.” Henry W. Sage responded by contributing money to build the chapel.
The initial plan was for a 75-foot tower with a spire and a belfry. In 1898, an apse was erected to accommodate the remains of Henry Williams Sage and his wife. Over time, the architecture has undergone major changes. Artist Ella Condie Lamb created the mosaic design for the apse. In 1903, a north transept was constructed. There’s enough room to accommodate a choir and a large pipe organ.
Churches inside colleges, universities, and schools usually come with their stories to tell. They are structured in majestic views and structures, often with prestige and history. No matter what your religion is, these are worthy avenues to get in touch with your faith and grow your spirituality despite being busy with college obligations.
Key Takeaways
In conclusion, the chapels and cathedrals on college campuses represent not just a place of worship but also a symbol of the rich history and culture of these institutions. Each one is uniquely designed and holds significant religious and architectural significance.
From the grandeur of the Duke University Chapel to the intricately decorated Caldwell Chapel at Notre Dame, these structures have the power to inspire and instill a sense of peace and spirituality in students, staff, and visitors alike.
The combination of stunning architecture, serene atmosphere, and religious significance make these chapels and cathedrals some of the most cherished and beautiful landmarks on college campuses. They serve as a reminder of the importance of faith, community, and tradition in the midst of the busy and ever-changing college life.
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