The Chapel

The chapel was completed in February, 1907, and the canvas murals which decorate the front wall and the sides were added in 1910. The style of the chapel is perpendicular gothic. It has an oak hammer-beam ceiling, derived from the chapter room of Cambridge University in England. The floor is oak, as are the choir stalls; the wall paneling is chestnut. The screen is not part of the original design; it was added in 1948 when the General Chapter of the Order was held at the Dominican House of Studies.

Originally lit by gas, the chapel was converted to electricity in 1925, and the original electric lights still hang from the ceiling. Over the years, new lighting has been added both to aid the friars in their celebration of the Office and to enhance the beauty of the sanctuary.

The large sanctuary was designed for Dominican liturgy allowing the brethren to prostrate themselves as they approached the altar for Holy Communion. This custom has been discontinued. After the Second Vatican Council, an altar facing the people was installed using materials from the original altars. As a result, there is a perfect consistency of design.

While the convent is austere in its design and decor, the chapel contains a wealth of artistic aspiration and knowledge. Following the tradition of medieval and eastern churches, it was designed to teach Dominican preachers about their lives and ministries, and to help the friars in their contemplation. Such artistic decorations are traditional in Dominican convents, calling on the artistic talents of great artists, such as Fra Angelico.

The windows on the left and the plaques on the right depict events from the life of St. Dominic. Dominicans follow their Father as he leads them to God. He is the model for the preaching friar, as he preaches God and his Word. As the friars-preacher gather in choir to chant the psalms and to offer the Sacrifice of the Eucharist, they have an opportunity to reflect on their Holy Father Dominic and on their lives as members of the Order of Friars Preachers. The windows and paintings recount the various incidents in the life of St. Dominic which have given shape to the Dominican way of life.

Of particular note is the brass lectern in the center of the choir. The statue is variously title, "The Expectation of the Virgin," or "The Pregnant Virgin." We believe there is no other statue in the world called by that title. It is particularly appropriate to be in the center of the choir of a house dedicated to the begetting and forming of future Dominican preachers. The statue is a gift from the Belgian Dominican Province.

The stained glass windows were commissioned from Mayer & Company, a Royal Bavarian Establishment noted for its fine craftsmanship. The glaziers worked in studios in Munich, and the windows were shipped to Washington in leaded sections in 1905-1906. Beginning in the sanctuary and progressing along the east wall, the windows tell the story of the founding of the Order.

Mary gives the Rosary to St. Dominic.

Pope Honorius III gives the bull of approbation of the order on December 22, 1216.

Mary gives the scapular to Bl. Reginald of Orleans while he is seriously sick.

St. Dominic disperses the brethren.

St. Dominic raises Napoleone Orsini to life

The Blessed Mother, together with St. Cecelia and St. Catherine of Alexandria, sprinkle the sleeping brethren with holy water.

Two angels bring food to the evening meal, serving the youngest brothers first.

St. Dominic dies at age 51

These paintings are 24 inches, oil on canvas in a monochromatic reddish-brown harmony, by Adolph Tassin, (1850-1923), a Belgian Dominican Tertiary of Liege. They tell the story of St. Dominic from just before his birth to the founding of the Order. The texts below the paintings are taken from the Mass and Office of St. Dominic and other histories. The Latin text appearing beneath the panels is translated next to the images below. They begin at the first window to the right as one enters the chapel from the north (front) corridor.

"When Johanna implores Dominic of Silos, a son, Dominic, is given her by God"

"He who is a preacher of the world is prefigured to his mother in the form of a dog"

"Soon cleansed by the holy waters he is signed by a light, a star gleams on the forehead of the child"

"A great famine having arisen, he is moved to mercy for the needy. He sells his books to help them"

"With a compassionate hand, he distributes wealth he had collected that the poor might be filled"

"Now drawn to greater things, discussing the whole night, he converts the innkeeper"

"Then by the Virgin Mother he is presented to the Son of God for the salvation of the people"

"Spurning all worldly pomp, as a pauper he rushes forth, shining with God's grace, to meet the heretics"

"Behold on the banks of the river he finds a coin, a gift from God, with which he pays the debt"

"Enemies arise; his book is written. Three times it is consigned to the flames; Three times it is returned complete, intact"

"Deceived by a heretic, he walks, though barefoot, in the midst of thorns and briars"

"Pope Innocent III beheld him sustaining the Holy Church"

"When Dominic had attached Francis to himself as friend, immediately a brother's love overwhelmed them both"

"The apostles present Dominic with the insignia of preaching, Paul gives the book of epistles, Peter gives the staff"

"This great comforter of souls comes to the recluse and from the goodness of his heart he offers sweet words about God's goodness"

"He brings the holy virgins of God together and establishes them permanently at St. Sixtus"

"An angel from heaven is given to him as companion to lead him back safely to the house of the brethren"

Over the years, the chapel has undergone some renovations to meet the changing needs of the times as a succession of priors has perceived them.At one time, altars of St. Dominic and St. Thomas were located on the balcony, and in the rear of the chapel were elaborately carved confessionals. These no longer exist. The only altars from the original plan are those of St. Catherine of Sienna on the epistle side and St. Rose of Lima on the gospel side.

St. Rose's altar reads: "O Rose, our sister, may it be well with us because of thee and may our souls live because of your favor."

St. Catherine's altar reads: "May Catherine grant that we enjoy the true light of Christ, and let this holy Virgin associate us with the heavenly choirs."

The organ was built by the Peragallo Organ Company of Paterson, New Jersey, and was installed in August, 1987. The instrument has 14 ranks and 42 stops and is designed to meet the demands of the prayer life of the Dominican Community and the needs of contemporary liturgy. It was dedicated on December 6, 1987.

This organ is the second pipe organ to serve the chapel. The first organ was built and installed in 1907 by the M.P. Moller Company, of Hagerstown, MD. This instrument had 6 stops and 14 ranks and was designed to accompany the singing of the divine office by the Dominican Community. It was removed in 1968 because it needed extensive repairs.

An electronic organ served the chapel from 1968 - 1987.

The chapel organ of the Dominican House of Studies is the third instrument built by the Peragallo Company in the Province of St. Joseph. The others are in the chapel of the Priory of St. Thomas Aquinas, Providence College, Providence, R.I., and in Holy Innocents Church, Pleasantville, New York.

The Gothic sanctuary lamp was made in Europe in 1880. The base and wall mounting are of solid brass. This along with a matching thurible and incense boat are gifts of the Hamer family of Holland.

The three oriental rugs that cover the floor of the sanctuary were acquired in 1987. The largest rug is a very rare semi-antique (60 years old). It is an Isfehan Persian rug, nineteen feet eight inches by thirteen feet, one inch, woven in 1930 in Iran. It is a genuine national treasure that would never have left Iran were it not for the present circumstances of the country. To describe this piece as a museum piece is an understatement; it certainly surpasses, both in rarity and beauty, the largest number of extant rugs of its time period which are on display now in museums.

The most unusual feature of this rug's design is the use of the ivory color background because Persian rugs are typically and overwhelmingly red or blue. A second important categorical feature of the rug which sets it apart is the absence of a strong medallion at the field-center. The pattern of this piece is a very ornate arabesque and floral design with a small centerpiece.

The runner across the platform atop the altar steps is a second very rare rug. It was woven in Semnan, a small city some 120 miles east of the Iranian capital, Tehran. Semnan rugs have long established themselves as the esoteric choice for collectors and scholars of Persian rugs. This runner is eighteen feet ten inches by three feet three inches. It is an antique and is one of four runners of the same rich burgundy background which, untypically, was left completely open in the field with ornamentation in the rug's navy blue border. This rug, with the three others of slightly different sizes, were commissioned in the late nineteenth century for a private estate in Semnan itself.

The Arak Saruk Persian rug that formerly led into the sanctuary is a relatively modern rug woven around 1960. The rug represents the Saruk quality of workmanship and has retained the important attributes of good wool and heavy pile density. Its design is very traditional, consisting of a large medallion set against a rich red background. The basic coloring of the rug is a red and blue combination that instantly identifies it as a Saruk. The particular shades of these two colors used in this piece as well as the structure of the pattern represent basic elements of Saruk carpets.