St. Paul's Chapel
St Paul's Chapel is Columbia's non-denominational religious space. It was built between 1904 and 1907, and dedicated in 1907.
Architecture
St. Paul's is not one of the few early campus buildings not designed by McKim, Mead, and White; instead, it was designed by the far more obscure firm of Howells & Stokes. A mixture of Italian Renaissance, Byzantine, and, to some extent, Gothic styles, it is referred to in the Eyewitness Guide to New York as "Columbia's most spectacular building".
St. Paul's has a number of interesting architectural features, including a number of inscribed Latin phrases. The University motto, In lumine tuo videbimus lumen, is carved above the main door. The larger motto, above the church's front columns, is Pro ecclesia dei, "for the church of God".
The torchieres in front of the building were donated and originally from Venice.
The interior of the chapel, one of the prettiest on campus, features a Guastavino tiled roof and John LaFarge stained glass windows behind the altar. The stained glass windows in the roof rotunda features the coats of arms of prominent New York families from the early 20th century.
Ceremonial uses
The Class of 1903 Bell, located outside roughly above the left column of the front portico, rings at 9:30am on the day of University Commencement to signal the beginning of the student procession.
Prior to commencement, the church is also the location of the Baccalaureate Ceremony.
Other popular uses include concerts and, of course, religious ceremonies. It is also popular for weddings and memorial services.
The crypt
St. Pauls' crypt is used by a number of student groups. The Postcrypt Cafes take place there, student exhibitions are sometimes shown in the rooms, and it is used for the formal weekly meetings of the Blue and White.
The crypt is accessible by going through the entry door on the far right and then down the stairs.
In film
The 1996 film The Mirror has Two Faces was filmed at an organ recital at St. Paul's. The chapel's Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ is reknown for its sound.
Map
<googlemap lat="40.807902" lon="-73.961184" type="map" zoom="16" width="500" height="300" controls="small"> 40.807902, -73.961184, St Paul's Chapel </googlemap>
