University of Saint Francis

Fort Wayne, Indiana

The Oratory of St. Francis of Assisi is the first freestanding chapel on the University of Saint Francis campus. An octagonal cupola rises approximately 35 feet in both height and width and gracefully crowns the chapel. Our team at Conrad Schmitt Studios, Inc. designed and crafted eight soaring stained-glass windows at 10+ feet tall encircle the structure, filling the interior with natural light and enhancing the space’s sense of beauty and serenity.

Adjacent to Mirror Lake, the oratory is situated on a serene waterfront, embracing the harmony of nature. Within the cupola, eight windows present the Canticle of the Creatures. Below are detailed views of these windows, followed by the original watercolor renderings and the completed installation.

Left: Rendering | Right: Final

Composed by St. Francis, the Canticle is a praise of thanks to God for creations like “Brother Sun” and “Mother Earth.” Each window depicts elements of the natural world across expansive landscapes, including the moon and stars, wind, fire, air, water, and both cloudy and clear skies.

Left: Rendering | Right: Final

Fused glass elements add organic textures to each landscape, creating entirely new and unique surfaces within each window. The final product has a fluid merging of small granules of glass, called frit, creating painterly effects. Traditional hand-painted additions on select glass pieces create a visual harmony, as artists paint with and on glass, which is itself a product of natural materials on earth.

Left: Rendering | Right: Final