Hi guys! Hope you all are getting into the Christmas spirit; if not, keep reading to find out about one of the most Christmassy events in the nation!
Last week, over the weekend, I had the pleasure to visit one of my best friends, Livia, at her college campus in Sewanee, TN. If you’ve never heard about it, that’s not surprising at all. Sewanee is a small town in Franklin Town, Tennessee, that is basically entirely made up of The University of the South, a liberal arts college, owned by 28 dioceses of the Episcopal church.
Getting there isn’t the easiest thing, I had to fly to Nashville, Tennessee, and then be picked up by Livia and her friend Meg. We proceeded to drive an hour and a half and eventually made it to Sewanee – though we stopped at a Starbucks, since the campus is literally in the middle of nowhere and the closest one is 40 minutes away. Anyway, it was all worth it once I saw the campus.
The Campus
Livia always joked around telling me that Sewanee is basically Hogwarts. Once I got there and I could see the campus for myself, I realized that she was never really joking. Sewanee is essentially the real life, American version of Hogwarts. Minus the magic. Although, in all seriousness, students do wear gowns in class.
All the buildings are made of local stone, following the Gothic style that you might see in many universities in England: Sewanee actually follows that model even in their academic style, being a lot more similar to English universities than American colleges. If you’ve followed my blog for a while, I actually visited Duke University about two months ago, and that is probably the American college that resembles Sewanee the most – or at least, out of the ones I’ve visited. Stanford also kind of looks like it, too.
The building in this picture above is actually the dining hall. THE DINING HALL. Just take a second to let that sink in. Also, if you’re not yet convinced of the beauty of this college campus, these are a couple of examples of dorms at Sewanee:
The inside looks incredible as well:
And when they have to go to class, it is not uncommon for students to casually walk through this kind of path:
Again, casual strolls on Gothic buildings.
On the flip side, it’s true, the campus is pretty small, and there’s not much going on compared to a “real city”. There’s a coffee shop, Stirling’s, and a nice restaurant inside of a hotel, the Sewanee Inn – with killer fries and a mouthwatering cookie skillet. There’s a couple other spots to eat at, like Shenanigans and the Blue Chair Café, that are pretty good, too. There’s a couple small shops in “downtown Sewanee”, but that’s pretty much it.
However, you literally get to hike around campus! Their territory, “The Domain”, is what they call “a 13,000-acre backyard” owned by the university, and don’t forget that Sewanee is situated on top of a mountain! We actually went on a hike and explored all of that the larger campus has to offer. It was so beautiful, and I bet it’s even prettier in spring and summer!
The Chapel
We visited All Saints Chapel to go check out this famous Christmas event/concert called Lessons and Carols and I have to say, the church was just beautiful! The architecture is inspired by University Church at Oxford University, although the ceiling is based on medieval cathedrals in Amiens and Chartres in France. Here are a few pictures of the chapel and of the inside, all decorated for the event. More on the Chapel – and the beautiful organ inside – here.
The Event: Lessons and Carols
Lessons and Carols is a religious service divided into nine different “lessons”: each lesson is a reading from one of the scriptures that has to do with the birth of Jesus. After each lesson, the choir sings one or two hymns or songs.
Everything is Christmas themed, the entire Chapel is fully decorated and the service is candlelit. Remember when I said that Sewanee is basically Hogwarts, minus the magic?
Well, the magic of Christmas is strong with this one (Star Wars reference – am I the only one who is super excited about going to the movies later this week?) In any case, you might not play quidditch or get sorted into a house, but during Lessons and Carols, you do feel like you’re witnessing something absolutely magical. It’s the perfect way to start the month of December right and get into the Christmas mood.
I was surprised by just how good the choir was. I imagined they would execute a great performance, but I didn’t quite picture how good. It was incredible! I’m telling you, the atmosphere was dreamy and enchanting. I’m just upset I couldn’t capture photos and videos of the ceremony, but I guess that means that y’all are going to have to check it out yourself!
Overall, it was an amazing experience and I’m so glad I got to be part of it along with my old friend Livia – and my new friend Komal! I really encourage all of you to pay a visit to this beautiful campus if you ever get the chance to. You can find more info about Sewanee and Lessons and Carols in this great Southern Living article.
That is all for now! Since we’re in the mood, I also want to wish a merry Christmas and happy holidays to all of my readers! Hope your holiday season is filled with joy and warmth. As for myself, I will be indulging in lots of fresh food in my hometown of Milan, Italy!