The Numen Lumen Pavilion receives its name from this university’s historic motto, a Latin phrase for “spiritual light” and “intellectual light.” The multi-faith center is a place for prayer, meditation and reflection and is appropriately located in the heart of the campus. Affirming the university’s commitment to the development of mind, body and spirit and respect for differing religious and spiritual traditions, the center will encourage campus dialogue and promote interfaith collaboration.
Many of the center’s eco-friendly features were selected by the student body and faculty. The project has achieved 98% waste recovery by keeping construction and demolition debris to minimal levels and diverting tons of waste from the landfills.
The two-story building in Elon’s Academic Village features a circular sacred space adjoined by a multipurpose room, meditation room, classroom, meeting and study rooms, and offices of the Vera Richardson Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life and the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture and Society. An outdoor meditation garden is located between the Numen Lumen Pavilion and the adjacent Gray Pavilion.
Construction consists of structural steel framing, brick façade, extensive exterior trim details, shingled roof system over metal trusses, and a copper-roofed rotunda.
