St. Andrew’s Collegiate Chapel, an early 20th century church in Philadelphia, is the site of an installation using strings to create geometric art. The Chapel was originally used to educate Episcopal priests from Philadelphia Divinity School, but became vacant after it was sold as part of a larger parcel to the University of Pennsylvania.
Artist Aaron Asis titled the project “Ci-Lines”, and spoke to Hidden City Philadelphia about collaborating with fifth grade students and his hopes that the project would spark conservation efforts for the neighborhood landmark.
You can read the whole interview on Hidden City, which has a photo gallery of the exhibit.
What do you think when you see the installation? Are there other public art projects you want to see in churches?





What an incredible building and artistic project. It truly retrieves the question of why Philadelphia Divinity School felt it necessary to merge with the Episcopal Theological School and sacrifice its chapel and close to such a pedestrian alternative in Cambridge. Now I understand better the angst of former PDS graduates who felt the Philadelphia location should have been the site for the merged seminaries.
It also raises the specter which many of us alums of GTS are contemplating, of a similar demise of its Chapel of the Good Shepherd if/when the seminary faces its own inability to sustain what’s left of its seminary close. Bittersweet indeed.
A shame that this beautiful building is lost now.
It’s obvious from the video that the building isn’t lost, it just isn’t currently in use. It hasn’t been allowed to fall into decay or disrepair. It just has no use at the present. That could change at a future date.
Bro David
I certainly hope so!
So very lovely. Thank you for this vision.
I wish I could see it live and in person.