The Chapel of the Incarnate Word

The Chapel of the Incarnate Word was dedicated on May 30, 1907. A place of prayer and celebration, the Chapel stands both as the symbolic center of the life of the Congregation and of our presence in the community. The Chapel has been in continuous use since 1907, and is the primary place for celebrating major Congregational feasts, including professions, jubilees, and funerals. For many years, the bell tower was the tallest structure in San Antonio.

The interior of the Chapel is 564 feet long, and 68 feet wide. The Chapel is Romanesque in style with rounded arches, columns with gilded Corinthian capitals. The fourteen large stained-glass windows were designed and installed in 1907, by the Emil Frei Stained Glass company of St. Louis, Missouri. They tell the story of the life of Jesus, from the Incarnation to the Ascension, primarily through the lens of the Gospel of Luke. The designs follow the German tradition of showing clothing, furniture, and building styles from the Middle Ages.

Seating in the Chapel is primarily in stalls, carved in golden oak. They are arranged in monastic style, providing individual seating and facilitates the chanting of the psalms in alternating (antiphonal) choirs. The top of each choir stall in the upper rows is crowned with the fleur-de-lis, the national symbol of France and the birthplace of the Congregation.

A new Schoenstein pipe organ was installed as part of the 2007 renovation of the Chapel.. The electric-pneumatic action instrument has 24 voices in 27 ranks in the gallery orgn, which is linked to the one-manual console organ in the sanctuary.

In addition to being a place of worship, the Chapel has been used in recent years to host performing artists: organ concerts, chamber music recitals, and choirs. https://www.ccvichapel.org/-about