Memorial Church

The spiritual home of religious life on campus, nonsectarian Memorial Church also is the architectural centerpiece of the Main Quad and a landmark widely recognized as an emblem of the university.

Memorial Church's façade, decorated with colorful mosaics (there are over 20,000 shades of color in the tiles), enlivens the Quad's stark beauty. The church's ornate interior boasts stained glass windows, intricate stonework, gold leaf decoration and redwood ceilings. Those fortunate enough to visit Memorial Church in the early morning may be treated to an impromptu concert by the university organist on one of the church's four organs.

The church, affectionately known as "MemChu," was built in the early 1900s by Jane Lathrop Stanford in memory of her husband, Leland Stanford Sr., who founded the university with his wife. Memorial Church is the site of numerous campus events, from choir concerts and lectures to religious and spiritual services. Since 1903, about 7,500 couples have been married in the church.

More about Memorial Church's architecture

Religious Life at Stanford

Photos: Chuck Painter