St. Paul's Chapel, on the Morningside Heights campus of

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, is an Episcopal church built in 1903–07 and designed by I. N. Phelps Stokes, of the firm of Howells & Stokes. The exterior is in the Northern Italian Renaissance Revival style while the interior is

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

. Although the chapel was part of their master plan, it was the first building on the campus that was not designed by McKim, Mead & White.Lauber, Kate. "St. Paul's Chapel, Columbia University" in .1141 The chapel was the gift of Olivia Egleston Phelps Stokes and

Caroline Phelps Stokes Caroline Phelps Stokes (December 4, 1854 – April 26, 1909) was a benefactor to many organizations that helped the underprivileged in the US, Africa and the Near East, supporting churches, libraries, educational establishments, orphanages, housin ...

, the sisters of philanthropist

Anson Phelps Stokes Anson Phelps Stokes (February 22, 1838 – June 28, 1913) was a wealthy American merchant, property developer, banker, genealogist and philanthropist. Born in New York City, he was the son of James Boulter and Caroline Stokes. His paternal gran ...

, in memory of their parents. Attached to their donation was the requirement that their nephew, I. N. Phelps Stokes, the author of ''The Iconography of Manhattan Island'', design the building.

Description

The chapel's exterior of red brick with

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

trim—with

terra cotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terracotta ...

and bronze ornamentation—fits in with the original McKim, Mead buildings on the campus. The building's dome stands above the ground, and was possibly the first self-supporting dome in an American church. The 24 windows around the drum of the dome carry the names of prominent New York families connected with the university, such as

Philip Van Cortlandt Philip Van Cortlandt (September 1, 1749 – November 5, 1831) was an American surveyor, landowner, and politician from Westchester County, New York. Van Cortlandt was the son of Pierre Van Cortlandt and brother of Pierre Van Cortlandt, Jr. He ...

, DeWitt Clinton and William C. Rhinelander. The entablature on the chapel's front facade is PRO ECCLESIA DEI, meaning "For the Assembly of God". The

wrought-iron Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.08%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4%). It is a semi-fused mass of iron with fibrous slag inclusions (up to 2% by weight), which give it a wood-like "grain" t ...

gates in front came from the North Reformed Dutch Church, which closed in 1875. The chapel's Byzantine interior features

Guastavino tile The Guastavino tile arch system is a version of Catalan vault introduced to the United States in 1885 by Spanish architect and builder Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908). It was patented in the United States by Guastavino in 1892. Description ...

vaulting in intricate patterns on almost every curved surface. Three stained glass windows by

John La Farge John La Farge (March 31, 1835 – November 14, 1910) was an American artist whose career spanned illustration, murals, interior design, painting, and popular books on his Asian travels and other art-related topics. La Farge is best known for ...

adorn the

apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. ...

; other windows are by D. Maitland Armstrong, Henry Wynd Young, and J. Gordon Guthrie. The chapel contains an "Altar for Peace" by

George Nakashima George Katsutoshi Nakashima ( ja, 中島勝寿 ''Nakashima Katsutoshi'', May 24, 1905 – June 15, 1990) was an American woodworker, architect, and furniture maker who was one of the leading innovators of 20th century furniture design and a fathe ...

, a wooden table with natural edges in his signature style. The chapel has "sonorous" acoustics, which makes it an excellent venue for the long-running concert series "Music at St. Paul's", and its Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ is renowned for its fine tone. St. Paul's is referred to as "Columbia's most spectacular building" in the ''Eyewitness Guide to New York'' and as "the best of all Columbia's buildings" by the '' AIA Guide to New York City''. It was designated a New York City Landmark on September 20, 1966."NYCLPC Designation Report"
/ref>

Uses

Many religious groups use the chapel throughout the week for their meetings; it hosts over 600 religious services each year for a variety of faiths. Several non-religious student groups also use the chapel. The most notable of these are the student magazine ''

The Blue and White ''The Blue and White'' is a magazine written by undergraduates at Columbia University, New York City. Founded in 1890, the magazine has dedicated itself throughout its existence to providing students an outlet for intellectual and political disc ...

'' and the

Postcrypt Coffeehouse Postcrypt Coffeehouse is an all-acoustic music venue in the basement of St. Paul's Chapel at Columbia University in New York City, run completely by students. Founded in 1964, Postcrypt has hosted many up-and-coming folk musicians, including Jeff ...

, a folk music venue featuring live music weekly. The coffeehouse has been called perhaps "the most haunting (not haunted) performance space in the City." The basement of the chapel houses the Postcrypt Art Gallery. At commencement, the university uses St. Paul's for a Baccalaureate Service to commemorate graduates' achievements. The chapel is also popular for weddings. The chapel has also been used in the past by the Barnard Columbia Ancient Drama Group to present plays in Ancient Greek or Latin.

In popular culture

*In 1969 some parts of the song "

The Boxer "The Boxer" is a song written by Paul Simon and recorded by the American music duo Simon & Garfunkel from their fifth studio album, '' Bridge over Troubled Water'' (1970). Produced by the duo and Roy Halee, it was released as a standalone si ...

" by

Simon and Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s, and their biggest hits—including the electric remix of " ...

were recorded in the chapel. * Judy Collins recorded her ''a cappella'' arrangement of "

Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn published in 1779 with words written in 1772 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is an immensely popular hymn, particularly in the United States, where it is used for both ...

" in the chapel for her 1970 album '' Whales & Nightingales'', relying heavily on its acoustic reverberation effects.

References

External links

"St. Paul’s Chapel"
— Office of the University Chaplain, Columbia University
"Sacred Music at Columbia"
— Sacred Music at Columbia, a twice-weekly concert series in St. Paul's Chapel {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Paul's Chapel, Columbia University Columbia University campus Churches in Manhattan University and college chapels in the United States Churches completed in 1907 Byzantine Revival architecture in New York City New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan

Description

Uses

In popular culture

See also

References

External links