A Living Landmark
Designed by Philip Johnson
An artistic marvel, the Chapel of St. Basil was designed by the late architect Philip Johnson and completed in 1997. In keeping with the University’s Basilian tradition, the chapel is named for St. Basil the Great, a fourth century bishop in what today is the country of Turkey. The chapel sits at the north end of the University’s academic mall, which was also designed by Johnson some 40 years earlier.
Light and Sacred Space
Built for Daily Worship
The Chapel hosts Mass every day, seating about 225 people and bathed in natural light from the dome, a skylight over the altar, the statue of Our Lady on the east wall and the asymmetrical glass cross on the west wall.
Faith Meets Reason
A Symbol of Two Truths
The external design consists of three basic geometric shapes: a 50 foot white stucco cube, a sphere for the dome and a black granite plane that intersects both. The Chapel of St. Basil and Doherty Library face each other from opposite ends of the Academic Mall, signifying the perpetual relationship between faith and reason.