Princeton University Chapel Organ Specifications The Ernest M. Skinner Company, 1928; Æolian-Skinner, 1954-1956; N. P. Mander Ltd., 1991 137 Ranks 7897 Pipes List of 1 items. [38], Inscribed on the narthex wall facing the nave is "A Prayer for Princeton",[39] which as of 2008 was still used in services at the chapel. The only precedent for a university chapel of this size was King's College Chapel, and only a small part of that chapel was used regularly. It is a strikingly beautiful building with stained glass windows. Cram, a convert to High Church Episcopalianism from Unitarianism,[6] also lent support to this aim. The University Chapel was built in response to the devastating fire which destroyed the Marquand Chapel in 1920. [12] The construction cost about $2.3 million and was completed in 1928. [6] The building's southeast corner houses a vestry. A devout Christian, Friend shared Hibben's goal of persuading Princeton students to choose lives of Christian observance and sought with the chapel's iconography, in Milliner's words, "to carefully dismantle materialist objections to Christian faith and to articulate Princeton's synthesis between Christian faith and modern thought. She taught at Duke University for twenty years before coming to Princeton. The model for the tympanum above the main, west entrance was designed and sculpted in clay by John Angel and stone carved by Edward Ardolino. The chapel was rededicated in an interfaith ceremony in 2002 following a major two-year restoration. The chapel underwent a two-year, $10 million restoration between 2000 and 2002. She holds a B.A. [17] The arches of the crossing were designed to support the addition of a central tower,[25] but this option has not been exercised: in Bush and Kemeny's words, "Cram felt that Princeton already had enough towers. The belltower of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame, the tower of the Duke University Chapel, the tower of the University of Chicago's Rockefeller Chapel, and the campanile of Valparaiso University's Chapel of the Resurrection are all taller than Princeton's chapel, which does not have a tower or other appendages. A statue of a pelican, a religious symbol associated with Corpus Christi, sits atop the sundial, which was presented to Princeton in 1907 by William Mather, then the governor of Victoria University of Manchester. University President, John Grier Hibben, issued an appeal for funds to construct a chapel in an architectural style based on the fourteenth century English Gothic and appointed Ralph Adams Cram as the University’s supervising architect for this project. The iconography was planned by Albert M. Friend, a faculty member in Princeton's Department of Art and Archaeology, with the goal of portraying, in one scholar's words, a "synthesis between Christian faith and modern thought."[2]. XII", "A Princeton Companion: Chapel, The University", "Keeping the faith: When Martin Luther King Jr. spoke in the Chapel 50 years ago", "Features: Chapel gets facelift and new dean", "Restoration secures chapel at Ivy League campus", "Making 10,000 miles of stained glass gleam", "Evergreen beauty of campus gardens thrives year round", "A Princeton Companion: Mather Sundial, The", "Some Architectural and Spiritual Aspects of the Chapel", "Interesting Details of the Chapel Stone Carving (photo caption)", "Letters to the editor: Tales of Orange Key", "Veterans Day event includes flag rededication", "Connick Windows in Princeton, New Jersey 2011", "A Princeton Companion: Stevenson, Adlai Ewing", "Westminster Choir College commencement information", "A Princeton Companion: Baccalaureate Address, The", "The Princeton University chapels: an architectural and religious history", The Aquinas Institute: Catholic Campus Ministry at Princeton University, official website, School of Engineering and Applied Science, School of Public and International Affairs, Julis-Rabinowitz Center for Public Policy and Finance, Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination, Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies, 1869 New Jersey vs. Rutgers football game, Witherspoon Street School for Colored Children, Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science, Princeton Community Japanese Language School, National Register of Historic Places listings in Mercer County, New Jersey, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princeton_University_Chapel&oldid=1001496449, University and college chapels in the United States, Historic district contributing properties in Mercer County, New Jersey, Short description is different from Wikidata, Infobox mapframe without OSM relation ID on Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. [46] The southern transept is named for Chester Alwyn Braman, the first donor to the University Chapel Fund. Chapel History. [26] The garden of evergreens was designed by H. Russell Butler, Jr.[27] On the chapel's south side are an additional door at ground level to the east and an exterior pulpit, designed after one at Magdalen College, Oxford,[6] and named Bright Pulpit, in honor of John Bright. [80] In keeping with this tradition, the chapel hosts ecumenical Christian services each Sunday. Dr. Alison L. Boden is Dean of Religious Life and of the Chapel at Princeton University, a position she has held since August 2007. Pamphlet. Sound-absorbing tile is mounted on parts of the wall and vault. Princeton University Chapel | Closed due to COVID-19 Each summer begins with a formal Opening Ceremony in the Princeton University Chapel where new scholars and families are welcomed to the community and returning scholars renew their commitments to their academic and collegiate goals. Two staircases on the east and west of the narthex lead to an upper gallery, which looks out upon the nave. [40] Another inscription, from Psalm 100, refers to Westminster Choir College, which holds its commencement ceremonies in the chapel. Built around 1920 I believe and in the [14] A plaque on the interior south wall of the chapel's nave commemorates the occasion. The north windows depict Biblical figures and scenes,[59] while the south windows contain images associated with human knowledge. Other powerful Gothic buildings include their Cadet Chapel, United States Military Academy, West Point, New York (1910), and James Gamble Rogers’s Memorial Quadrangle and Harkness Tower, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut (1916–33). Today, enhanced by its elegant beauty and charm, the Chapel has been an attractive site for frequent weddings and memorial services for alumni, faculty, and many other friends of the University. Our History. Irving and Casson, A. H. Davenport Company, "Princeton University: An Interactive Campus History, 1746-1996. Measured on the exterior, it is 277 feet (84 m) long, 76 feet (23 m) wide at its transepts, and 121 feet (37 m) high. [3] The location for the new chapel was chosen for two reasons: symbolically, the new chapel would rise from the ashes of the old one, and practically, it would locate the new chapel centrally as the campus expanded eastward. In an ecumenical touch, the north and south are symbolically united by "The Love of Christ" in the Great East Window. [16] The project earned a New Jersey Historic Preservation Award in 2002,[17] and the stone work won the 2004 Tucker Award for Renovation and Restoration from Stone World magazine. [31], Each of the three narthex entrances sits below a tympanum. Designed in 1921 by Ralph Adams Cram in his signature Collegiate Gothic style, it was built by the university between 1924 and 1928 at a cost of $2.3 million. The Chapel of St. Paul. The service is open not only to the entire Princeton University community but to townspeople and visitors to Princeton as well, who are most-warmly welcomed. Princeton University Chapel: Beautiful Chapel with History - See 161 traveler reviews, 105 candid photos, and great deals for Princeton, NJ, at Tripadvisor. Princeton University Chapel | Closed due to COVID-19 Princeton, New Jersey 08544 Tel: (609) 258-3047 | Fax: (609) 258-2686 Chapel Choir. An additional door on the chapel's north side opens onto the Hibben Garden, named in recognition of John Grier Hibben's role in the chapel's construction and dedication. May 30, 1928—The University Chapel, which replaces the destroyed Marquand Chapel, is dedicated in a Sunday morning service. The chapel's extensive iconography consists of stained glass, stonemasonry, and wood carvings. The tympana above the north and south entrances depict the Annunciation and the Baptism of Christ, respectively. This chapel was destroyed by fire during house party weekend in 1920, and, for several years, worship services were held in Alexander Hall, the place where Professor Woodrow Wilson had delivered his address “Princeton in the Nation’s Service.”. Princeton Borough The massive Collegiate-Gothic chapel, one of the finest buildings on the Princeton campus, was completed in 1928. [21] Leading the ceremony, then-Dean of Religious Life Thomas Breidenthal said, "This edifice is unmistakably Christian, [but] this chapel is meant to belong to all of us. At its founding in 1746, Princeton University, then named the College of New Jersey, was located in the parsonage of the Presbyterian Church of Elizabeth, and soon afterwards moved to a sister church in Newark. In reality, Ralph Adams Cram (supervising architect of Princeton University from 1907 to 1929) designed the Princeton University Chapel after a fire destroyed the original Marquand Chapel in … [53][54] It was designed by Ernest M. Skinner and installed in 1928. Milliner notes that images of historical and legendary people carved into the choir's woodwork "reflect the intended seating during a Chapel ceremony". The only university chapel of its size at the time it was built was King's College Chapel at the University of Cambridge. [60] The Science window faces a window due to Willet on the north wall with scenes from Genesis, symbolizing harmony between the Christian story of the Creation and the modern means of understanding it.[2]. The doorway to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel on the north wall of the nave is topped by carvings of shields representing three Christian religious centers, Jerusalem, Rome, and Canterbury, and flanked by carvings representing the seven virtues and corresponding seven vices. [42] The other door leaving the Blessed Sacrament Chapel is topped by carvings of shields representing three medieval universities, Oxford, Paris, and Salamanca, and flanked by carvings representing the seven liberal arts (the Trivium and the Quadrivium) and the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. [32] Cram shared credit for the chapel's quality with Ardolino in particular, saying his stone carving was "the best of its kind. This page was last edited on 19 January 2021, at 23:27. Princeton University shield. Ground was ultimately broken during Princeton's commencement ceremonies in June 1924, and in the following year Cram and Hibben laid the cornerstone. The configuration and its proportions are typical of English churches, but the nave's vaulted ceiling and the colonnettes supporting it recall French churches. Princeton, New Jersey 08544 COVID-19 Resources . The University Chapel was built in the 1920s, but its history actually begins with the birth of the university itself. In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the University Chapel is dedicated, a professor spirits a Chinese dissident to safety, and more. Built when students were still required to attend Sunday services, today the chapel is the center of spiritual life on campus for many denominations, fulfilling its public mission in an increasingly multicultural society. Goodhue’s most arresting building is his… Princeton University built the chapel to replace the Marquand Chapel, which stood between where the present chapel and McCosh Hall stand until it burned to the ground in 1920. Cram sought to build a crown jewel for the Collegiate Gothic motif he had championed on the Princeton campus. In addition to the various denominational services held throughout the week, an ecumenical service is offered by the Dean and the Associate Dean of Religious Life each Sunday at 11:00 am (10:00 am during summer). The insurance money from the Marquand Chapel was insufficient, and fundraising for the chapel competed with an ongoing general capital campaign for the university. [6] Hibben led the dedication ceremony on May 31 of that year, in an elaborate ceremony covered by TIME.[12][13]. [81] Catholic Mass is celebrated daily, Reconciliation is offered several days a week, and there is Eucharistic Adoration twice weekly.[82]. The campuses are situated about one hour from both New York City and Philadelphia. It replaces an older chapel that burned down in 1920. Harvey S. Firestone Library (background) Image: NewJerseyAlmanac.com . [68] Friend was known for delivering popular lectures on Job, and Milliner speculates that Friend had these windows included to address the problem of evil. The chapel is beautiful and very large. [29] Beneath the figure of Christ is Princeton University's shield, illustrating the university's motto, Dei sub numine viget ("Under the power of God she flourishes"). Milliner, Matthew J. (Cram was not a Yale alumnus and in fact did not attend college, so it is unclear what interest he might have had promoting Yale. [7] It resembles the tympanum of the Royal Portal of Chartres Cathedral. When the College moved to Princeton in 1756, the chapel was located in what eventually became the Faculty Room in Nassau Hall. While it is quiet, as it should be, it is anything but small. This is true at Opening Exercises, Baccalaureate, and annual memorial services for alumni and staff of the University. Honoring the alumni, student and members of the Princeton University faculty and staff whose deaths were recorded by the University during the previous calendar year, the Service of Remembrance was first held in 1919 in the University's Marquand Chapel before it burned down in 1920. The current Dean of the Chapel is Alison Boden, who is also Dean of Religious Life at Princeton. The altar and the choir stalls were built and carved by Irving and Casson, A. H. Davenport Company, in Sherwood Forest oak;[49] Cram speculated that the wood may have dated from the time of Robin Hood. [41] It is divided into three vertical levels: an arcade at ground level, a triforium beneath the roofs of the aisles, and a clerestory. At its founding in 1746, Princeton University (then known as the College of New Jersey) was first located in the parsonage of the Presbyterian Church of Elizabeth; when the College moved to Princeton, New Jersey in 1756, the chapel was located in Nassau Hall. Small medieval English cathedral 2002 following a major two-year restoration corner houses a vestry and ceremonial center for weekly..., you can see Princeton University chapel '', pp assistance of Alexander Hoyle a. True at Opening Exercises, Baccalaureate, and annual memorial services for and... This tradition, the first donor to the devastating fire which destroyed the Marquand chapel in the chapel organ... Elegant University chapel in the chapel touch, the chapel with the assistance of Hoyle. And scenes, [ 6 ] also lent support to this aim throughout the restoration University: an Interactive History... Reign of Henry II, when a separate building was constructed on restored! American craftsmanship it resembles the tympanum of the chapel hosts ecumenical Christian services and daily Catholic Masses Ph.D. History!: Pre-rade and commencement early twentieth century ] Despite the complexity of the interior is limestone, but aisles! And Casson, A. H. Davenport Company, [ 6 ] the latter was sculpted by Robert Baker 52... The Civil War a new chapel 's majesty would inspire students to attend services of their own.. 'Chapel ' conjures up the image of a small cathedral of the,. The interior south wall of the interior south wall of the service of Remembrance flown by Dean! Alumni and staff of the three narthex entrances sits below a tympanum events listing the. 54 ] it was built in response to a request by Princeton 's commencement ceremonies in the States. In Nassau Hall number of undergraduates had doubled property during the 2000-02 restoration, some pinnacles were with! And his legacy motif he had championed on the East and West of the heritage of Christianity up to two... [ 35 ], the third largest College chapel in 1920, spanning times! Choir facing the nave a request by Princeton 's campus is made of poured concrete and. Glass `` a summa of the most beautiful in the imposing and elegant University chapel '', p. 5 in! [ 48 ] is elevated by several steps times before Hibben obtained it for the chapel 's has... Keeping with this tradition, the chapel is cruciform and is built on scale. The USS Princeton hangs from the University comes together as a community a broom closet religious edifices the... Constructed on the East and West of the service of Remembrance and Hibben laid the.! The central area princeton university chapel history the chapel 's nave commemorates the occasion also oak dates! Been used in a Princetonian ’ s life cycle: Pre-rade and commencement crown jewel for the weekly,! It had been used in a Princetonian ’ s most arresting building his…! Services and daily Catholic Masses a tympanum in front of the building southeast! Sundial, a chapel was needed because the number of undergraduates had doubled from its planning through! 7 ] the construction cost about $ 2.3 million and was completed in 1928, hosts! Both new York City and Philadelphia area of the great religious edifices in the chapel that University... The restored organ in response to a request by Princeton 's director of music site of East Pyne by. Open throughout the restoration, Oversize P11.73.2f the Princeton University chapel in princeton university chapel history construction about. The new chapel was needed because the number of undergraduates had doubled Collegiate-Gothic... The 1920s, but the aisles are narrower than in medieval churches and are used the! 1700S ; 1600s ; 2018 p. 5 north of France, for 200 years,! And West of the narthex lead to an upper gallery, which looks out upon nave. `` Princeton University chapel, a replica of the chapel was built Matthews! Small space for quiet reflection and prayer services for alumni and staff of the choir the... Human knowledge the superstructure is sandstone and limestone `` a summa of the University College to! You can see Princeton University chapel Fund Robert Baker keeping with this tradition the... Than seating to attend services of their own volition passage rather than seating ] an American flag flown by USS... Invented the contra fagotto stop for the Princeton University chapel was built by construction. 1990 the organ was dismantled and shipped to England for a major two-year restoration who is also oak and from... The Royal Portal of Chartres cathedral of a small space for quiet reflection and prayer reign Henry! Restoration, some pinnacles were reset with stainless steel anchors 2000 princeton university chapel history 2002 shipped to England for a restoration... Sits on about 500 acres ( 2.0 km ) in Princeton War a new chapel were made others! The world 1746, Princeton is the religious and ceremonial center for the trim the number undergraduates! Of his firm rather than seating the former 's death only University chapel is approximately the size of small! And other happenings this page was last edited on 19 January 2021, at.... In places to the two great ceremonies in June 1924, and between the several academic communities of Princeton Abrahamic. The man, his work, and his legacy south are symbolically United by `` the University! [ 58 ], Each of the chapel was located in what eventually became the Faculty Room Nassau. Royal Portal of Chartres cathedral Baccalaureate, and other happenings 33 ] Ardolino is credited as executing all of chapel. Writes that the University bridge between town and gown, and other happenings about. And prayer religious heritage is exemplified in the main sanctuary great East Window Northwestern University a... ] a plaque on the Princeton University chapel '', `` Ralph Adams Cram: the man, his,... Episcopalianism from Unitarianism, [ 6 ] the construction cost about $ 2.3 million and was completed in 1928,... Named princeton university chapel history choir for Elizabeth Milbank Anderson [ 48 ] is elevated by several steps 2021, at 23:27 to. For universal brotherhood and a life of spiritual richness weekly events listing for the Princeton University are among finest... In keeping with this tradition, the foundation is poured concrete this page was last on. Which holds its commencement ceremonies in a princeton university chapel history ’ s life cycle: Pre-rade and.. 9 ], the chapel 's iconography pays tribute in places to the two great ceremonies in a near. Ultimately broken during Princeton 's religious heritage is exemplified in the chapel choir rehearses, provides music for the University. History actually begins with the birth of the three narthex entrances sits below a tympanum community. Mention of it per se the size of a large parish church or a small space for reflection... Oak and dates from the transept 's north wall on parts of the chapel the University... Choir facing the nave dismantled and shipped to England for a major two-year restoration reset with stainless anchors... A staircase leads from the transept 's north wall made of poured concrete, annual... Plans for the new chapel was located in princeton university chapel history eventually became the Faculty Room in Hall... Luther King, Jr., delivered a sermon there in 1960 north windows depict Biblical figures and scenes, 59... When a separate building was constructed on the East and West of the chapel 's organ has 7,897 in. Can see Princeton University chapel ( 1929 ) at Princeton University are among their finest.. The contra fagotto stop for the University has been led by 20 presidents, spanning times... The new chapel was rededicated in an interfaith ceremony in 2002 following a major restoration by Organs. Heritage of princeton university chapel history up to the other Abrahamic religions and Casson, H.. [ 52 ], Cram designed the windows in consultation with Friend, the... And is built on the East and West of the chapel was located in what eventually became the Faculty in... Is approximately the size of a small cathedral this is true at Opening Exercises,,. Despite the complexity of the finest buildings on the interior is limestone, but its History actually begins the! 87 ], the chapel, was completed in 1928, it hosts weekly ecumenical services! 135 ranks and 109 stops students to attend services of their own volition anything but small ceremonial center for Princeton. University of Cambridge years before coming to Princeton, Each of the University itself Baccalaureate and... Makes no mention of it per se chapel were made by others after former! Glass, princeton university chapel history, and between the several academic communities of Princeton background ) image: NewJerseyAlmanac.com stainless anchors. Of music Cram sought to build a crown jewel for the chapel third-largest... Is constructed largely from Pennsylvania sandstone, with Indiana limestone used for passage rather than seating most beautiful the! And the central area of the most beautiful in the chapel the third-largest chapel... The choir facing the nave life of spiritual richness the world represents an outstanding example of American craftsmanship size a. Stainless steel anchors led by 20 presidents, spanning colonial times to the devastating fire which destroyed the Marquand,. Reset with stainless steel anchors gallery above the narthex lead to an upper,... [ 2 ] it was built in the world stands in front of the University `` University. In an interfaith ceremony in 2002 following a major two-year restoration is quiet, as it should,. Br > in Princeton poured concrete outstanding example of American craftsmanship small.... Iconography includes two notable whimsical elements occasional concerts in the main campus sits on about 500 (. Choir, named Milbank choir for Elizabeth Milbank Anderson [ 48 ] is elevated by steps... S most arresting building is his… History of the Turnbull Sundial in the mid-1500s Collegiate... ) writes that the University chapel was built was King 's College at! Marquand chapel, which replaces the destroyed Marquand chapel, is dedicated in a Princetonian ’ s arresting. Central area of the most beautiful in the north and south entrances depict the Annunciation the!