Duke Chapel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Duke Chapel |
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| General information | |
| Type | Center of Duke's Campus |
| Architectural style | Collegiate Gothic |
| Location | West Campus, Duke University |
| Coordinates | 36°0′5.99″N 78°56′23.32″W / 36.0016639°N 78.9398111°W |
| Completed | 1935 |
| Cost | US$2.3 million |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Julian Abele and Horace Trumbauer |
| Other information | |
| Seating capacity | 1800 |
Duke University Chapel is a beautiful chapel found right in the middle of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. It's a Christian chapel that welcomes people from all different Christian backgrounds. It's also the main place for religious life at Duke.
The chapel was finished in 1935. It can hold about 1,800 people. Standing 210 feet (64 meters) tall, it's one of the tallest buildings in Durham County! The chapel is built in a style called Collegiate Gothic. This means it has big stones, pointy arches, and cool ribbed ceilings. Inside, you'll find a carillon with 50 bells and three large pipe organs. One organ has over 5,000 pipes, and another has 6,900 pipes!
The chapel sits on the highest part of Duke University's West Campus. Plans for the chapel began in 1925. The first stone was laid on October 22, 1930. It cost $2.3 million to build. The chapel was the last of the main buildings on West Campus to be completed. It was first used for a graduation ceremony in 1932, even though it was still being built. The chapel was officially finished and opened on June 2, 1935. Amazing stained-glass windows and other details were added later.
The chapel was designed by Julian Abele. He was a famous African-American architect. He designed much of Duke's West Campus. He was also the main designer for the firm of Horace Trumbauer. As of 2012, the dean of the chapel is Rev. Luke A. Powery. In May 2015, the chapel closed for a year. This was for important repairs to its ceiling. It reopened on May 11, 2016.
Contents
Outside the Chapel
Main Entrance
The chapel's main entrance is very detailed. It has carvings of ten important figures. These figures are important to Methodism, Protestantism, and the American South. On the outer arch, you can see three leaders of the American Methodist movement. Bishop Francis Asbury is in the middle. Bishop Thomas Coke and George Whitefield are on either side.
On the left wall inside the entrance, you'll find Girolamo Savonarola, Martin Luther, and John Wycliffe. On the right wall are Thomas Jefferson, a Southern statesman, and Sidney Lanier, a Southern poet. Originally, Robert E. Lee, a Southern soldier, was also there. John Wesley, who started Methodism, stands above the chapel doors.
These carvings were made by workers from the John Donnelly company. It's said that the architects let Donnelly choose which figures to carve. He did this after talking with a professor from Vanderbilt.
The statue of Robert E. Lee was removed in August 2017. This happened after it was damaged. It was part of protests across the country about historical statues. Duke University decided to leave the space empty. They hope it will remind people of this moment in history.
Bell Tower
The bell tower of Duke Chapel looks like the Bell Harry Tower of Canterbury Cathedral. It is 210 feet (64 meters) tall. Its base is 38 feet (11.6 meters) wide. The main part of the tower is built from stone. This stone came from the Duke Quarry near Hillsborough, North Carolina. The top parts are made of limestone from Indiana.
Inside the tower is a 50-bell carillon. This was a gift from The Duke Endowment. The heaviest bell weighs 11,200 pounds! The lightest bell weighs only 10.5 pounds. You can reach the top by an elevator or a winding staircase. The staircase has 239 steps. The bell tower is not usually open to the public. Duke students can visit it during special times like Orientation and Graduation.
Inside the Chapel
Duke Chapel is shaped like a cross. This is common for many Christian churches. The main part, called the nave, is 291 feet (88.7 meters) long. It is 63 feet (19.2 meters) wide and 73 feet (22.3 meters) high. The walls and ceilings of the nave are made from special Guastavino tile. In 1976, they were sealed. This was done to make sounds echo better. It helps the organ sound even more amazing. The chapel also has a Memorial Chapel and a crypt.
Stained-Glass Windows
The chapel has 77 beautiful windows. They were designed and built over three years. Fifteen artists and craftspeople worked on them. The windows are made from over one million pieces of glass! This glass came from England, France, and Belgium. The pieces are about 1/8 to 3/16 inch thick. The biggest window is 17.5 by 38 feet (5.3 by 11.6 meters). The smallest is only 14 by 20 inches (35.6 by 50.8 centimeters).
The windows show scenes and people from the Bible. There are 800 or 900 figures in total. More than 300 of them are larger than life-size! The big windows high up show scenes from the Old Testament. The smaller windows along the sides show scenes from the New Testament. Both Old and New Testament images are in the two large side windows and the altar window. The windows near the entrance show women from the Old Testament. Small windows in the entrance halls show six scenes from the life of Jesus. These are painted in black on amber glass. The windows in the Memorial Chapel are silver-tinted. Those in the crypt are purple glass with lead frames.
Chancel
The chancel is the area near the altar in Duke Chapel. It holds the altar, the choir stalls, the pulpit, and the lectern. You can see carvings of important religious figures here. These include Patriarchs, apostles, and saints. They are carved from limewood and oak. They appear in the choir stalls and behind the altar. Scenes from the Passion (the story of Jesus's suffering) are carved into the chancel walls.
Organs
Duke Chapel has three big pipe organs. Each one is built in a different style. They are used for church services, special events, concerts, and for students to learn to play the organ. The chapel also has a smaller, portable "box" organ. This one is used with smaller groups.
The Kathleen McClendon Organ is the chapel's first organ. It is hidden behind fancy oak screens. It was built in 1932. This was the last big instrument made by the Aeolian Organ Company. It has 6,900 pipes! These pipes are controlled by four keyboards for your hands and one for your feet. This organ can make many different sounds. It was fully repaired in 2009.
The Benjamin N. Duke Memorial Organ was added in 1976. It was built by a Dutch company called Flentrop. It looks like organs from the 1700s. This organ is near the entrance of the chapel. It has 5,033 pipes! It is controlled by four hand keyboards and one foot keyboard. The main part of the organ is made of solid mahogany. It is decorated with colors and gold leaf. It stands 40 feet (12.2 meters) tall. It sits on a solid oak balcony.
The Brombaugh Organ was put in the Memorial Chapel in 1997. It is in a special spot high up, like a "swallow's nest." This was the last organ added to the chapel. It has two hand keyboards and one foot keyboard. It has 960 pipes. It is made in the style of Italian organs from the Renaissance period. It makes a soft, sparkling sound. It is tuned like instruments from the 1500s and 1600s. You can see the Duke family crest at the top of this organ.
Memorial Chapel
A special Memorial Chapel was added to the left side of the main chapel. The Duke Memorial Association built it. It's a quiet place for people to think and pray. It is open to visitors. Large iron gates separate it from the rest of the chapel.
Along the left wall, you'll find the tombs of the university's important supporters. These include Washington Duke and his two sons, James B. Duke and Benjamin N. Duke. Their tombs are huge! They are made of 30-ton white Carrara marble. They were carved by Charles Keck. Above the altar are three figures carved from limewood. Jesus is in the center, with St. Paul on the left and St. Peter on the right. The Duke family coat of arms is on the ceiling.
Crypt
Many important people from Duke University are buried in the crypt. This is a special burial area right under the Memorial Chapel. Three university presidents are buried here: William Preston Few (1924–1940), Julian Deryl Hart (1960–1963) with his wife, and Terry Sanford (1969–1985) with his wife. James B. Duke's wife, Nanaline Holt Duke, is also buried here. Other important people include James A. Thomas, who led the Duke Memorial Association, and James T. Cleland, a former Dean of Duke Chapel, with his wife.
Two plaques on the crypt walls remember other university presidents. These are Arthur Hollis Edens (1949–1960) and Robert Lee Flowers (1941–1948).
How Big is Duke Chapel?
At 210 feet tall, Duke University Chapel is one of the tallest university chapels in the world. The Chapel of Princeton University is 121 feet tall. The Basilica of the Sacred Heart at Notre Dame is 218 feet tall. This shows that Duke Chapel is a very impressive size!
See also
- Collegiate Gothic
- Gothic revival architecture
