Sage Chapel

Exterior Sage Chapel, named after Henry Sage, a trustee at the school. It was designed in 1872 by the Reverend Charles Babcock, the first Professor of Architecture at Cornell University, with stonework provided by local stone-carver Robert Richardson. A north transept was added in 1903. The organ incorporates several ranks of pipes from previous instruments, including two of the previous organs built in the chapel. The building includes Tiffany glass windows The double crosses in the ceiling have a blue background in which are set gilded sunbursts and stars, while in the centers are found the Greek letters, XP, which began the word Christos, and the Alpha and Omega. The colors also are symbolic; white is for purity, innocence, and faith. Black and white together, purity of life, and humiliation. Red is for fire, heat, and the creative power. Red and black together, purgatory and the realm of Satan. Green is for hope, of victory and immortality. Grey is for mourning and innocent accused. Blue for the firmament, truth, and constancy. Gold is the sun and goodness of God. The anchor represents hope and patience. The lamp is piety and wisdom. The lamb and pennant, represent the Redeemer. The cross is for redemption. The interwoven triangles, represents the Trinity. The Lion is for the Tribe of Judah. The open book with a hand pointing to the Beatitudes, is a symbol of the Gospels. The sword and palm is for martyrdom and victory. The chalice is for faith. The flaming heart is of fervent piety and love. The standard, the wreath, and the crown represent victory over evil. The sun, stars, and crescent moon, are the luminous nebula which emanates from and surrounds the Divine Essence. The burning bush symbolizes the fervor of the martyrs. I.H.S. was originally the first three letters of the name of Jesus in Greek; in Renaissance times they were said to stand for Jesus Hominum Salvator, "Jesus, Saviour of men." Many of the decorative carvings of Sage Chapel were executed by Robert Richardson, a stone-carver who had emigrated to Ithaca from England. Commenting on Richardson's work in Sage Chapel, Andrew Dickson White wrote: ==History==

Cornell University was founded as a non-sectarian institution; this drew criticism of "godlessness" from some quarters. Sage Chapel originally featured a 75-foot tower with spire and belfry. Sage Chapel has hosted many speakers, including Lyman Beecher, John R. Mott (Cornell class of 1888), Mordecai Wyatt Johnson, Harry Emerson Fosdick, Stephen Samuel Wise, Martin Luther King Sr., Martin Luther King Jr., Reinhold Niebuhr, Paul Tillich, Elie Wiesel, Abraham Heschel, Hans Küng, Harold Kushner, Elizabeth Kübler-Ross, Carl Sagan, Jane Goodall, Arianna Huffington, and Peter Gomes. Other speakers have included Lyman Abbott, Daniel Berrigan, and John Cleese. Father Robert S. Smith, Catholic priest, author, and educator, preached regularly at Sage Chapel from 2002 to 2010. Sage Chapel Christmas Vespers is an annual tradition at Cornell. For many years, beloved Professor Morris Bishop delivered the readings. Sage Chapel is a popular choice for couples getting married at Cornell. Sage Chapel also serves as the home of the Cornell University Glee Club and Cornell University Chorus and for a number of years the Sage Chapel Choir. ==Interments==

The bodies or ashes of numerous Cornell notables and their families are interred in the crypt inside Sage Chapel. They include: • Ezra Cornell and his wife, Mary Ann Wood Cornell • Andrew Dickson White and his first wife, Mary Outwater White • Two infant children of Andrew Dickson White by his second wife Helen Magill White • Henry W. Sage and his wife Susan Linn Sage • John McGraw, benefactor and trustee • Cornell Librarian Willard Fiske and his wife Jennie McGraw Fiske • Alonzo B. Cornell, Governor of New York and eldest son of founder Ezra Cornell, and his first wife Elen Augusta Cornell • Edmund Ezra Day, Cornell's fifth president, and his wife • Deane Waldo Malott, Cornell's sixth president ==Gallery==

File:Sage Chapel, HDR.jpg|The interior of Sage Chapel. Image:Sage Chapel (Cornell University).jpg|West elevation. Image:Sage Chapel cornerstone Cornell Univ Ithaca NY.jpg|Cornerstone on the South elevation. Image:Sage Chapel stained glass, Cornell University Ithaca NY USA.jpg|Stained glass window honoring James Chaney, Michael Schwerner, and Andrew Goodman. Image:AD White Sarcophagus.JPG|Andrew Dickson White's sarcophagus Image:Ezra Cornell Sarcophagus.JPG|Ezra Cornell's sarcophagus File:Jennie McGraw sarcophagus, Sage Chapel, Cornell Univ Ithaca NY.jpg|Jennie McGraw's sarcophagus ==References==