PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY: TRINITY EPISCOPAL CHURCH AND THE PRINCETON BATTLE MONUMENT

After our sightseeing trip around Wilmington, Delaware, we moved on to Princeton, New Jersey. We had driven through New Jersey on a prior trip, but he hadn't stopped anywhere. New Jersey is only 170 miles long and 70 miles wide, the 4th smallest state in the Union behind Rhode Island, Delaware, and Connecticut. However, with 8.8 million people, it is 11th for population, making it the MOST DENSELY POPULATED STATE in the United States! I wouldn't have guessed that.

Before going to Princeton University, the purpose of our New Jersey detour, we took in the city of Princeton itself, population 30,000 (8,000 of which are students at Princeton University). I recently learned that one of Princeton's sister cities is Colmar, France.

One of the dominant buildings in town (not ON the campus, but nearby) is Trinity Episcopal Church:

The first part of the church was built in the Gothic Revival style in 1870, and a few additions and changes were made in the early 20th century.

My first impression was that the interior was kind of blah compared to the dramatic exterior, which looked like something out of Transylvania:

There was much more there, however, than I realized at first:

For example, there are a lot of stained glass windows, including these two showing the Annunciation and the Nativity:

Windows showing the visit of the wisemen actually depict Jesus as a young boy rather than as an infant:

Many of the windows are triptychs with relatively simple designs depicting events in the life of Christ:

Other windows are geometrical rather than pictorial:

 

Another window style:

A few windows include more detailed painting in the faces and clothing, a style I love:

The white framing gives the impression of a window within a window:

One of the side chapels has this trio of dramatic abstract windows:

However, this window with a unique exploding floral design makes it by far my favorite window in the church. Words around the perimeter read: "Come let us go forth in the word rejoicing in the power of the Spirit":

And of all the niches, this one, called "The Chapel of Unity," is my favorite because of its reminder of the "common humanity" of Christians and Jews. Note the menorah next to the cross on the table below the window:

For what seems to be such a simple, unadorned place, the Trinity Evangelical Church at Princeton holds a lot of surprises:

Our next stop was the Princeton Battle Monument. In this pivotal 1777 battle, George Washington himself led an attack on the British garrison at Princeton, which ultimately led to the British withdrawal from New Jersey. The battle took place on January 3rd, and it must have been horribly cold. I'm moved by the ragged clothing shown here, and by the way Washington, at the top of the relief, clutches his cape:

The monument was designed by the Beaux Arts sculptor Frederick MacMonnies, and President Warren G. Harding was present for its dedication in 1922.