Yes, the MIT Chapel is generally open for visitors. Please enter quietly, as there are often religious services and events in the Chapel, many of which you are welcome to attend. If the Chapel is empty, you are welcome to explore, take photos, meditate or pray as you wish. The Chapel is a quiet spot in the midst of a busy campus and visitors are always welcome to take a few minutes for quiet reflection.

The MIT Chapel was designed by famed architect Eero Saarinen and dedicated in May 1955 alongside Saarinen’s Kresge Auditorium. The cylindrical building’s unique and graceful design was intended to meet the needs of all faiths and continues to serve as a place for worship for a diverse MIT community.

The building’s unique appearance was new to a campus that had previously employed a more classical architecture style. After some criticism, Saarinen explained that the chapel’s windowless cylinder “implied the self-contained, inward-feeling which was desirable” for a place of worship. He noted that its undulating interior walls promoted good acoustics as well as an “enclosed feeling.”

A stained glass entryway leads to the chapel, the centerpiece of which is a solid marble altar placed in the center of a circular marble platform. A metal sculpture by Harry Bertoia reflects light from the only window in the chapel, a beautiful domed skylight. The Chapel also features a 1,300-pound bell cast at MIT in the Metals Processing Laboratory and a 768-pipe organ designed by Walter Holtkamp.

Applications for performances in the MIT Chapel will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. To be considered for a concert in the MIT Chapel, please submit the following:

☐ A brief program proposal (description, proposed repertoire, etc.)
☐ Individual or ensemble biography and CV (if applicable)
☐ 1-2 audio or video recordings

via email or mail to:
chapelconcerts@mit.edu
MIT Office of Religious Life
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
77 Massachusetts Ave. Building W11
Cambridge, MA 02139

Click here for more information <"here"=link to: 3.3.4 / News & Events / Tier / Chapel Concerts>
 

MIT allows students to be excused from classes, examinations, and assignments for religious reasons. Click here to read more.