The Narthex

Entrance to the narthex, at the rear of the Chapel, is through 16' high doors which are paneled with Burmese teakwood. These doors are inlaid with ten different crosses in Ceylonese satinwood and East Indian rosewood.

Focal point of the narthex is an 11 X 12 foot textured tapestry by artist-weaver Lenore Tawney. The poetic abstract design depicts "Nativity in Nature" showing Mary with the Christ child in her arms represented by brilliant gold threads as a blaze of pure light. Below the tapestry is a bench of pink Salisbury granite bearing the words of the Chapel dedication. The entire area is lighted by a thousand tiny lucite tubes embedded in the ceiling, sculptured by Israel Levitan, and creating the impression of a canopy of stars.