Campus Life
Spiritual Life
St. Mary's Chapel
Built in 1939 and restored in the 1990s, St. Mary’s brick exterior masks the amazing beauty and architecture within.
Renaissance in style, it is reminiscent of a European cathedral. The sanctuary boasts a barrel-vaulted ceiling, slate floor and beautiful, one-of-a-kind stained glass windows made especially for St. Mary’s. The split chancel opens to the choir and high altar. The 1969 Kleuker organ—a 3-manual, 47-rank Baroque antiphonal—provides remarkable musical support, rivaled only by the Steinway grand piano in the crossing.
St. Mary’s Chapel is the students’ chapel, and houses the Chatham Hall Music Department, St. Mary’s Choir, Chamber Choir, and a variety of other musical groups. It is also used for music lessons, practice, dance, public speaking, and meetings. Its stewardship is entrusted to the Altar Guild, a student group guided by the Chaplain.
All-school, required Chapel services are held Tuesday and Friday mornings, with Eucharist offered on Sunday evenings. Every Chapel service takes advantage of the aesthetic serenity for quiet meditation, the amazing acoustics, and the sense of the holy. St. Mary’s Chapel is a consecrated space of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia. Its beauty and superb acoustics make it a sought-after venue for services, music performances, weddings, and community use. Many alumnae return to campus to be married in this beautiful chapel.
A girls' boarding and day school in southern Virginia, Chatham Hall prepares girls for college and for productive lives. Our innovative academic program offers advanced courses, global study and travel, as well as project-based learning. We foster the intellect and character of each student and, through our Honor Code, live in a community of trust. Grounded in its Episcopal heritage, the school welcomes students of all faiths and backgrounds.
800 Chatham Hall Circle | Chatham, VA 24531 | 434.432.2941 | admission@chathamhall.org
