The Present Chapel and its Predecessors

This chapter provides an overview of the Princeton University Chapel. The architects of the Chapel were the firm of Cram and Ferguson of Boston, while the builders were the Matthews Construction Company of Princeton. The general plan of the Princeton Chapel does not differ much from the large parish church or small cathedral typical of the Middle Ages. It consists of a nave of six bays, crossing, transepts, and choir. It recalls the English chapel or abbey tradition in that the choir is unusually large and without aisles. However, any English church of the same size would be certain to have a tower at the west end, or the crossing, or both. Here, the roof runs in an unbroken line from end to end. Another difference is that in a mediaeval building, the architectural aisles would be much wider than at Princeton, where they are used not for seating but merely for passage. The chapter then details the material and dimensions of the Chapel, as well as the interior and exterior sculpture.