Some interesting information (www.chapel.duke.edu), gleamed from the guide. For pictures, see here.
Dedicated in 1935, the Chapel is built in the English Gothic style designed by The Trumbauer Company of Philadelphia, PA (Julian Abele was senior architect). The exterior has Duke bluestone from local NC quarry and Indiana limestone, while the interior is lined with Guastavino tile.
The main Bell Tower is 210 ft. high, and the nave of the Chapel is 73 ft. high and 39 ft. wide. The interior space is about 291 ft. long and 63 ft. wide, with the transept 121 ft. long. The pews and altar screens inside are made of oak, and the stained glass was made by the Bonawit company of NY with Charles Jaeckle as chief designer. The main Chapel seats about 1500. A Memorial Chapel at the far left end houses the remains of the Duke's, and the lower level crypt is the resting place for Duke relatives and former presidents of the University.
As you enter the Chapel (facing the Chapel), important religious figures greet you on the left (Girolamo Savonarola, Martin Luther and John Wycliffe) while American luminaries (Sidney Lanier, Robert E Lee and Thomas Jefferson) greet you on the right. Interestingly, Robert E Lee is dressed in the uniform of a Northern soldier....On the facade are Methodists Thomas Coke, Francis Asbury and George Whitfield. John Wesley stands over the front doors.
Right inside in the narthex, important women from the Bible (Naomi, Hannah, Esther, Rebekah, Hagar and Ruth) greet you. This was meant to compensate for an ancient and fortunately no longer adhered to custom that prohibited women from entering into sacred places of worship. Walking further, Piety and Knowledge greet you on the left and right, respectively.
The stained glasses depict important people and stories from the Bible. There are two layers, on top (U)/ bottom (L). Clockwise from left (facing altar), we have Adam(U)/Annunciation(L); Noah/Nativity; Melchizedek/Jesus' youth; Abraham/Jesus' Baptism; Isaac/Death of John the Baptist; Jacob/The Transfiguration; Samuel/The Prodigal Son; David/ The Last Supper; Solomon/The Crucifixion; Job/The Resurrection; Tobit/The Ascension; Judas Maccabeaus/St. Paul's Preaching. All of the important characters in the top hold onto specific and unique tools that were used to identify them. Interestingly, in the panel depicting Jesus' youth, a Green but not Blue devil is noticeable! At the chancel, and further up to the altar, we have Moses, Joshua, Gideon and Samson (clockwise from left). At the very front, are images of the Face of God/Peter, Andrew, Jesus, James, John/James, Jude, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew/Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos and Obadiah.
No Chapel is complete without organs, and Duke's Chapel has three: The Benjamin N Duke Memorial Organ (Flentrop 1976) at rear with 5000+ pipes; Kathleen Upton Bryns McClendon Organ (Aeolian 1932) in chancel with 7000+ pipes; Brombaugh Organ in Memorial Chapel (portable Flentrop) with 920+ pipes. There's also 50 bells in the Bell Tower that plays at 5 pm daily!
One last tidbit I learned during the Chapel tour, is that every Chapel has a mouse. The saying is that no whisper or sound so small even for a mouse goes unheard of. If you look closely near the lectern (next to chancel), you'll see it!
Dedicated in 1935, the Chapel is built in the English Gothic style designed by The Trumbauer Company of Philadelphia, PA (Julian Abele was senior architect). The exterior has Duke bluestone from local NC quarry and Indiana limestone, while the interior is lined with Guastavino tile.
The main Bell Tower is 210 ft. high, and the nave of the Chapel is 73 ft. high and 39 ft. wide. The interior space is about 291 ft. long and 63 ft. wide, with the transept 121 ft. long. The pews and altar screens inside are made of oak, and the stained glass was made by the Bonawit company of NY with Charles Jaeckle as chief designer. The main Chapel seats about 1500. A Memorial Chapel at the far left end houses the remains of the Duke's, and the lower level crypt is the resting place for Duke relatives and former presidents of the University.
As you enter the Chapel (facing the Chapel), important religious figures greet you on the left (Girolamo Savonarola, Martin Luther and John Wycliffe) while American luminaries (Sidney Lanier, Robert E Lee and Thomas Jefferson) greet you on the right. Interestingly, Robert E Lee is dressed in the uniform of a Northern soldier....On the facade are Methodists Thomas Coke, Francis Asbury and George Whitfield. John Wesley stands over the front doors.
Right inside in the narthex, important women from the Bible (Naomi, Hannah, Esther, Rebekah, Hagar and Ruth) greet you. This was meant to compensate for an ancient and fortunately no longer adhered to custom that prohibited women from entering into sacred places of worship. Walking further, Piety and Knowledge greet you on the left and right, respectively.
The stained glasses depict important people and stories from the Bible. There are two layers, on top (U)/ bottom (L). Clockwise from left (facing altar), we have Adam(U)/Annunciation(L); Noah/Nativity; Melchizedek/Jesus' youth; Abraham/Jesus' Baptism; Isaac/Death of John the Baptist; Jacob/The Transfiguration; Samuel/The Prodigal Son; David/ The Last Supper; Solomon/The Crucifixion; Job/The Resurrection; Tobit/The Ascension; Judas Maccabeaus/St. Paul's Preaching. All of the important characters in the top hold onto specific and unique tools that were used to identify them. Interestingly, in the panel depicting Jesus' youth, a Green but not Blue devil is noticeable! At the chancel, and further up to the altar, we have Moses, Joshua, Gideon and Samson (clockwise from left). At the very front, are images of the Face of God/Peter, Andrew, Jesus, James, John/James, Jude, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew/Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos and Obadiah.
No Chapel is complete without organs, and Duke's Chapel has three: The Benjamin N Duke Memorial Organ (Flentrop 1976) at rear with 5000+ pipes; Kathleen Upton Bryns McClendon Organ (Aeolian 1932) in chancel with 7000+ pipes; Brombaugh Organ in Memorial Chapel (portable Flentrop) with 920+ pipes. There's also 50 bells in the Bell Tower that plays at 5 pm daily!
One last tidbit I learned during the Chapel tour, is that every Chapel has a mouse. The saying is that no whisper or sound so small even for a mouse goes unheard of. If you look closely near the lectern (next to chancel), you'll see it!
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