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Wake Forest University

Wait Chapel

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Davis Chapel
The school's intimate chapel in Wingate Hall.

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Wait Chapel
The spiritual center of Wake Forest.

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The Harris Carillon
12-ton grand carillon of 48 cast bronze bells in the Davis Family Tower.

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The Williams Organ
M.P. Möller organ in Wait Chapel.

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Wait Chapel Construction
Photographs from the Biebigheiser Collection.


A congregation in Wait ChapelWait Chapel is the largest non-athletic indoor setting on the Reynolda Campus with a seating capacity of 2,250. The first building constructed on the campus during the school's move to Winston-Salem in the 1950s, Wait Chapel is the spiritual center and the focal point of the university.

The faculty marshal carries the university mace in academic processions into convocations in the ChapelThe chapel is a versatile space. It is used weekly as a worship space by Wake Forest Baptist Church, and also serves as the principal setting of academic ceremonies and convocations. Speakers in the chapel have included James Earl Jones, journalist Bill Moyers, 9/11 Commission vice chairman Lee Hamilton, and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and the chapel held Presidential Debates in 1988 and 2000. The chapel is also used for a wide variety of artistic events, from the University's Secrest Series of classical concerts to Student Union-organized popular music shows.

Tinted windows line the nave of the ChapelOne of the most subtle and yet most beautiful elements of the Chapel's design is its windows. While the architect did not want to install stained glass windows that would restrict natural light in the room, he did want to create a rainbow of color and used 800 lightly tinted window panes in pink, blue, and yellow hues. The windows produce a shimmering rainbow effect, especially in early morning and late afternoon light.

Organ screen in the Chapel chanceThe Williams Organ is located behind the wrought-iron organ grille, which contains rich sybolism. The three arches, three-lobed figures, and, in the center, the fleur-de-lis contained therein signify the trinity. They are set in a semi-circle, symbolizing the heavenly world. The squares of the lower sections of the grille contrast with the circular patters and signify the earthly world. The center grille also contains a highly-ornamented cross pattern, including the Greek letters iota (I) and chi (X), which stand for Jesus Christ. The square pattern is repeated on the sides, where the squares contain a four-sided quatrefoil, symbolic of the four gospels of the New Testament.

Music is an important part of worship in Wait Chapel, including weddings. The Williams Organ, a four-manual Möller instrument with a The Harris Carillon after a snow stormSchantz console controlling over 4,000 pipes, fills the chapel with a broad range of musical moods. The Harris Carillon, a classically-controlled grand carillon of 48 cast bronze bells weighing 12 tons, rings each afternoon and brings welcoming music to a wide range of events on campus. Both instruments are fantastic examples, and are played regularly by faculty and students of the University.

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Wake Forest
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