A Perfect Sanctuary

From Dave Brigham:

This place was just as perfect as I'd hoped it would be. I don't recall how I heard about this lovely stone chapel in Sudbury, Mass. Might've been through a Google Maps search or reading something in passing. Once I figured out where it was, however, I made sure to visit quickly, because it seemed so cool.

Now part of St. Elizabeth's Episcopal Church, the sanctuary was built in 1914 by Ralph Adams Cram, an architect perhaps best known as the supervising architect for Princeton University from 1907 and 1929, per Wikipedia. He headed the architecture department at M.I.T. for seven years and designed many churches.

("The bell came from an old Gloucester fishing vessel, and was rung enthusiastically to celebrate the end of World War I on November 11. 1918," per the St. Elizabeth's web site.)

Cram built the church "as a place of worship for himself, his family, and his neighbors," per the church's web site, which you should check out to see photos of the inside, and pictures taken during construction. The architect and his wife, Elizabeth, and their three children -- Mary, Ralph and Elizabeth -- lived in Boston's Beacon Hill neighborhood but spent time at their summer retreat near the chapel.

All of the family members are buried in the adjacent graveyard. This is one of my favorite churches, and I have plenty that I like, usually small ones like this.