Sacred Space Conference: Conflict and Convergences

Trinity College Chapel is one of the last significant examples of historicist Gothic revival architecture from the twentieth century. Completed in 1955 and designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the architect of Liverpool Cathedral, the chapel represents an important continuation of the Gothic revival tradition that thrived during the 19th century and extended into the 20th.

To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the college chapel, Trinity College is hosting an interdisciplinary conference on the theme “Sacred Space: Conflicts and Convergences.” Scholars and the wider Trinity College community will explore the multifaceted concept of sacred space and its role in contemporary society.

The conference seeks to foster dialogue across disciplines and welcomes contributions from experts in architecture, music, history, religious studies, theology, environmental studies, and related fields. It will explore how sacred spaces are conceived, shaped, and contested, particularly within academic and urban contexts and in relationship to the natural environment and Indigenous communities.

On Wednesday afternoon, a guided campus tour will be offered, covering Indigenous spaces at the University of Toronto, including St Catherine’s Chapel (Gi-Chi-Twaa Gimaa Nini Mississauga Anishinaabek AName Amik) at Massey College, a Chapel Royal associated with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (https://www.masseycollege.ca/the-chapel-royal/).

The event continues with a keynote address on Wednesday evening, Nov 19, 2025.  It will be held as the annual Larkin-Stuart Lecture, one of Trinity’s premier annual events, organised together with St Thomas Church. The speaker is Prof. Matthew Milliner, Professor of Art History at Wheaton College.

Thursday’s full-day program will feature 18 presentations (of 30 minutes each), thematically arranged in four sessions. These sessions will be loosely associated with motifs derived from four principal architectural zones of the Trinity College chapel: 

SANCTUARY: Presentations focusing on the meaning of sacred space—both built and natural—and on sacred spaces as places of refuge, security, healing, and well-being.
NAVE: Presentations focusing on sacred spaces as places of journey, growth, and experience, shaped by rituals and everyday community practices.
NARTHEX: Presentations focusing on the intersection and interrelated ecosystems of spaces—both built and natural—and on the distinction, thresholds, and connections between sacred and non-sacred space.
CHOIR LOFT: Presentations focusing on how sacred space is shaped by sound (including but not limited to music).

Participants will exchange insights from various disciplines, engage in robust dialogue, and reflect on the enduring and evolving significance of sacred spaces today.

In addition to scholarly discussions, the conference will celebrate Trinity College chapel as a living example of sacred space, offering attendees the chance to experience its history and architecture through a guided tour (including the college’s archives), a worship service, a celebratory concert, and moments of reflection.

Conference sponsored by the JHI's Program for the Arts.

All events will take place in Seeley Hall. Registration required.

8:45 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.

• Morning Keynote – The Paradoxes of Trinity College Chapel | Peter Coffman

9:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.

• Inside and Out: Exploring the Sacred Landscapes of Trinity College Chapel | Mary-Catherine E. Garden
• The Immanence of God in Contemporary Gothic Spaces: A Theological and Architectural Analysis of the Trinity College Chapel | Rebekah Stretch

Break | 10:15 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. 

• The Navajo Hogan as Sacred Origin | Karla Cavarra Britton
• The Love of Learning and the Desire for God: The Monastery as Sacred Space | Constance Joanna Gefvert
• Peace and Unity across Difference: A Theological Reading of Sacred Space | Tiffany Robinson
• It’s All Greek to Me | Stephanie Azzarello

Lunch | 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. 

• Mediaeval and Modern Acoustics at Le Corbusier’s Dominican Priory of La Tourette | Joseph L. Clarke
• Shakuhachi and Chan/Zen Buddhist Meditation: Sound, Space, and Spirituality | Jizhang Yi
• Remixing Devotion: The Digital Audio Workstation as Sacred Space | Hassan Asif

Break | 3:00 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.

A – 3:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. (Simultaneous sessions)

• Sharing Sacred Space in Early Modern Europe | Andrew Spicer
• The Fiery Inlay: Colour, Ornament and the Mediation of Ecological Contingencies | Wenyi Qian
• Richard Hooker: Defending Contested Places of Worship | Daniel F. Graves
• Angels in the Architecture: Invoking the Sacred in Early Islamic Space | Heba Mostafa 

B – 3:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. (Simultaneous sessions)

• Western Church Architecture is Classical rather than Romantic | Amy Parker
• The Sacred Journey of Sacred Space | Brian Foust
• The Lay Experience in the Byzantine Liturgical Environment | Byron David Kennedy
• Liturgical Space and the Theology of Worship: An Orthodox Reading of Gerald Robinson and Rudolf Schwarz  | Geoffrey Ready