Carleton is full of places that are sacred, beautiful, reflective, and peaceful. Some offer space for specific religious practice, others invite us into contemplation and stillness, and still others honor those we have lost and should remember.
We invite you visit these sacred spaces, whether you believe they are grounded in some divinity or simply experience them as spaces of profound meaning. They are touchstones that by entering them, connect us more deeply to the wider universe and to ourselves.
Religious and spiritual life at Carleton is centered at Skinner Memorial Chapel, which contains a beautiful sanctuary space, in addition to a Muslim Prayer Room, a Buddhist and Hindu Meditation Room, and a Christian Chapel. Beyond the Chapel, Carleton contains the Stewsie Island Labyrinth, Japanese Sculpture Garden, Student Memorial, and Druid Circle, all detailed below.
Stewsie Island Labyrinth
Located on Stewsie Island on the Lyman Lakes, the Carleton College Labyrinth offers community members an opportunity for reflection, grounding, and meditation. Moving through a labyrinth is a spiritual practice, an experience of pilgrimage and going inwards, and symbolic of the journey we all take through life.
Labyrinth
Located on Stewsie Island on the Lyman Lakes, the Carleton College Labyrinth offers community members an opportunity for reflection, grounding, and meditation. Moving through a labyrinth is a spiritual practice, an experience of pilgrimage and going inwards, and symbolic of the journey we all take through life.
Japanese Sculpture Garden
Japanese gardens have their roots in early Zen Buddhism, as well as among the first landscaped gardens in mainland China. They embody a philosophy that suggests that fulfillment is found within the harmony and tranquility of body, mind, and spirit. The nobedan, or stone-paved walk, invites one in measured steps to leave the busy world behind and gaze upon the garden, connecting to the beauty of nature. Learn more about Carleton’s Japanese Garden.
Druid Stone Circle
Nestled in the southern part of the Carleton Arboretum, the Druid circle serves our chapter of the Reformed Druids of North America. The circle began informally in the mid-1990s and was formalized by the college several years later. Today, Druids and other earth centered practitioners recognize the circle as sacred space.
Student Memorial
Each member of our community has in some way shaped the College’s history and touched the lives of their fellow Carls. The College respectfully honors these students’ legacies with the Carleton Student Memorial.
Its 15-foot-high steel structure displays the name and class year of each student engraved on six-inch cast bronze broken circles, hung randomly, linked together, and suspended from the top of the frame. The height of the frame allows the wind to move the strands to create audible chimes and the sunlight to illuminate the broken circles in varying patterns. The memorial is on the east side of Lower Lyman Lake, providing a natural setting for peaceful reflection.
