The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

Cloister Walk and Quadrangle

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Cloister Walk and Quadrangle (Walk of Upper and Lower Cloisters), Dominican University

Cloister Walk and Quadrangle (color view of Upper and Lower Cloisters), Dominican University

Cloister Walk and Quadrangle (general view of quadrangle), Dominican University

Cloister Walk and Quadrangle (plan), Dominican University

Institution Name: Dominican University
Original/Historic Place Name: Cloister Walk and Quadrangle
Location on Campus: main campus
Date(s) of Construction:

1925-1927

original construction Cram & Ferguson

Designer: Cram & Ferguson (Boston)
Type of Place: Landscape site
Style: (Glossary)
Significance: architecture, religion
Narrative: see below
References: see below

Function:

ca. 1925-present (2006)

outdoor space

Narrative:
The Cloister Walk/Quad is the location of the annual Candle & Rose ceremony, established in 1928 as a rite of initiation and a symbolic representation of the university's motto, Caritas & Veritas (charity and truth). Graduating seniors walk with lit candles while their partners, generally underclassmen, carry roses. At the exchange of the candles and roses, the seniors are reminded to be faithful to the teachings and standards of the Dominican tradition and receive a rose as a living symbol of the beauty, love, and compassion they have experienced at Dominican. The candle symbolizes the light of knowledge, the light of Veritas (truth), and is passed from the senior graduates to their partners.

During the early years of Rosary College, the Cloister Walk was the exclusive domain of the sisters and seniors. The Candle & Rose ceremony was the first time a junior could cross the stones. Candle & Rose represents the Dominican tradition of truth and charity. Through the years, Candle & Rose is the most stunning representation of Dominican. As the curtain of time closes ever diligently each graduation eve, a diverse, holistic community of faith stands ever strong, moving progressively forward, meeting the challenges of a complex, dynamic world. Dominican University's Candle & Rose ceremony speaks of the ages, of Dominican tradition, of Rosary pride, and of a history that began in 1901 in Sinsinawa, WI.

References: