Detail of the east chancel window depicting the parables of Christ. (Jason Koski / Cornell University) Campus & Beyond Sage Chapel’s Windows Illuminate and Inspire Stories You May Like Visual Quiz: Verdant Views Campus Time Capsules Are Blasts from the Past Campus Memorials Pay Tribute to Cornellians Lost in Wartime Take a visual tour of the iconic campus building’s vibrant stained glass, beloved by generations of Cornellians By Joe Wilensky Sage Chapel has long offered both respite and fellowship. Opened in 1875 as the first nonsectarian chapel on a college campus, it’s a spot for contemplation, religious services, memorials, concerts, and other events—not to mention innumerable alumni weddings. In this awe-inspiring but approachable space, Tiffany-designed brass chandeliers dangle like oversized earrings from the arched ceilings. An exterior view offers only a hint of the splendor within. (Ryan Young / Cornell University) A visually stunning 4,000-pipe organ provides a haunting musical backdrop to services and choral performances. Figures depicted in and around the chapel encompass both the sacred and the scholarly—from Christ, saints, and angels to those representing wisdom, science, and the arts. Among the building’s signature elements, of course, is its stained-glass windows: 55 primary ones and another dozen small circular “rose” windows. Windows in the apse add to the luminous backdrop of weddings, concerts, and more. (Noël Heaney / Cornell University) “There is a softness, a kindness to the windows,” observes architectural historian Roberta Moudry ’81, PhD ’95. “Many are a quiet, timeless nod to people from their classmates. Even a century later, we feel connected to them by place and circumstance.” The largest is the east-facing chancel window behind the altar; measuring about 12 feet in diameter, it depicts the parables of Christ and the primary Christian values. There is a softness, a kindness to the windows. Even a century later, we feel connected to them by place and circumstance. Roberta Moudry ’81, PhD ’95 (When it was repaired in 2014, a photorealistic copy was temporarily installed to maintain the familiar backdrop for weddings and other events.) The chapel’s memorial crypt—where such notables as Ezra Cornell and A.D. White are interred, and where many Cornellian brides await their nuptials—was added in the 1890s. In 1880, prior to several expansions that added square footage—and more windows. (Rare and Manuscript Collections) It, too, has an elaborate window: shining above the tomb of Chimes benefactor Jennie McGraw Fiske, it depicts her surrounded by bells and saints. In the main chapel, one Tiffany-designed window pictures a delicate, bucolic landscape in honor of a geography professor, and another pays tribute to famed nurse Florence Nightingale. One pair of windows memorializes two Cornellians from the Class of 1912 who died in World War I. Says Moudry: “The quiet, the stained glass-filtering light, and the stories ‘written’ without words—in stained glass, mosaic, and sculpture—are all intended to transform the space into an otherworldly dimension.” The newest window was given by the Class of 1961 in its 30th Reunion year. It memorializes the three civil rights workers murdered in Mississippi in 1964: Michael Schwerner ’61, Andrew Goodman (son of Carolyn Drucker Goodman ’36 and Robert Goodman ’35, BS ’39), and local activist James Chaney. Several windows showcase colorful geometric designs. Elsewhere along the walls, windows portray U.S. and European college and university founders; early members of the Cornell community; noted heroes and reformers; scenes from biblical parables; and geometric designs. “The use of stained glass elevates the experience of being in the space in a way that is forever alive with brilliant color,” says University Architect Margaret McFadden Carney ’80, BArch ’81. “The changing light that pours into the space on a sunny day transforms the place into something other-worldly—truly Cornell’s jewel box—to be savored and treasured.” Scroll down for a visual tour of some of the chapel’s stained-glass splendor! Dedicated by classmates to two students who lost their lives in the 1906 Chi Psi fraternity fire, a window takes a verse from the Book of John: “Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends.” A window dedicated to Margaret Hicks Volkmann 1878 depicts St. Elizabeth of Hungary, a 13th-century princess who became a symbol of Christian charity known for the “miracle of the roses.” Stopped while secretly taking bread to the poor, she was asked to reveal what was hidden under her cloak; it fell open to reveal red and white roses, evidence of God’s protective hand. Stories You May Like Visual Quiz: Verdant Views Campus Time Capsules Are Blasts from the Past The chapel features numerous rose windows, including one behind its massive pipe organ. The crypt, also known as the memorial antechapel, features several triple windows above the sarcophagi and plaques. A window in the crypt, given by local residents, honors the Founder. A portrait of Jennie McGraw Fiske, located above her sarcophagus, depicts her surrounded by bells of the Cornell Chimes, which she gifted to the University. A set of windows is dedicated to Abigail Disbrow, wife of Cornell’s second president, Charles Kendall Adams. A Latin inscription along the bottom comes from the Book of Matthew: “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” Many windows, set into the two-foot-thick chapel walls, were given in memory of professors and classmates. James Chaney was one of three young men murdered while working for the Congress of Racial Equality in 1964. A window is dedicated to them “and all others who died for the advancement of civil rights and racial equality in our country.” The chancel features a wall mosaic depicting the “Realm of Learning,” windows that illustrate the “Realm of Revelation,” and a ceiling mosaic that shows the “Realm of Worship.” The phrase “the beauty of thy peace” is from the hymn “Dear Lord and Father of Mankind.” The window is dedicated “in loving memory of Lillian Purvis Heller 1904, given by students and friends who shared her home” (located on Eddy Street). Top: Detail of the east chancel window depicting the parables of Christ. (All photos by Jason Koski / Cornell University unless otherwise indicated.) Published July 19, 2024 Comments Martha Little Munson, Class of 1970 23 Jul, 2024 Thank you for this illuminating article – I spent many hours admiring the stained glass without knowing anything about them, Reply Ed Goldman, Class of 1961 24 Jul, 2024 James Cheney is only one of three young men killed in Mississippi in 1964. The other two were Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner ’61. The class of 1961 dedicated the window, and Andrew’s mother Carolyn Goodman was there for the dedication ceremony. Reply John Hupcey, Class of 1974 25 Jul, 2024 Margaret Hicks Volkmann entered Cornell at the age of 16, graduating in 1879 as the first woman to receive a degree in architecture in the United States. In 1882 she was married to Arthur L. K. Volkmann, who had been a fellow student at Cornell, and her death occurred a year later from Bright’s disease. Her most important literary work is a “Text Book to the Illustrations of the History of Art.” Reply Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Other stories You may like Students Flying High: Sophomore Is a Rising Star in the Birding World Alumni Pulitzer Prize-winning Alumna Explores the Human Stories Behind Global Migration Students Student App Developers Enrich Life on Campus and Beyond