A visit to Stanford University is always very inspiring and enriching. And when it comes to photography in the campus, memorial church is one of the most beautiful places within this huge campus in California. Lot of folks not know it by name but it's popular as church at Stanford University. This post takes you through Stanford Memorial church and shows various sections of the area where it's located in this university campus.
There are various interesting things that you observe in this church at Standford. The glass paintings are actually done on different pieces of glass and then connected together. You can make that out from some of the windows but not from all. The colours used are still intact and shine. Anyone visiting Stanford university, doesn't miss clicking a photograph of Memorial church. At least from outside.
Stanford Memorial Church is located on the Main Quad at the centre of the Stanford University campus in California, United States .
Memorial Church was built during the American Renaissance by Jane Stanford as a memorial to her husband Leland.
The memorial church is richly decorated throughout and its architectural features carved with formalized foliate ornament. The stained-glass windows used in the church were crafted in New York by famous artists of that time. The chandeliers are in the Art Nouveau tradition and have gold decorative patterns cast in pot metal.
The Memorial church in Stanford is Romanesque in form and Byzantine in its details, inspired by churches in the region of Venice, especially, Ravenna. Its stained glass windows and extensive mosaics are based on religious paintings the Stanfords admired in Europe. The walls of memorial church are covered with mosaics in the Byzantine manner.
The memorial church is entered through three bronze doors covered with angels, a recurring motif throughout the church. There is a variety of styles and motifs reflecting the hands of different craftsmen.
The chief building material of the memorial church at Stanford is buff sandstone which came from the Goodrich Quarry in the Almaden area of San Jose, was delivered by train and rough-cut in the university Quad. It is roofed with terracotta tiles of the Italian imbrex and tegula form. There are huge galleries around the church and lot of open space. One can see students sitting in group and discussing things.
The colours around these place are so amazing that one doesn't feel like going away from this place, especially if you have a camera in your hands.
The Memorial church has five pipe organs, which allow musicians to produce many styles of organ music. Stanford Memorial Church has withstood two major earthquakes, in 1906 and 1989, and was extensively renovated after each. Many people say that renovation work done here is exceptionally well because finer details were kept in mind to ensure that originality doesn't go away. Although some say that it has changed a lot. All these are opinions and I would have loved to hear from someone who actually saw the church before 1989 and then after the renovation.
I found Memorial Church very special in Stanford campus and hence I did this post. Please do leave your inputs, feedback & suggestions through comments below.
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