Nationality Classrooms

"Faith and peace are in their hearts. Good will has brought them together. Like the Magi of ancestral traditions and the shepherds of candid simplicity, they offer their gifts of what is precious, genuine and their own, to truth that shines forever and enlightens all people."

These words, engraved in a copper plate and placed in the Cathedral of Learning’s cornerstone by the Nationality Room Committee chairpersons in 1937, embody the goals and enduring philosophy of the University’s Nationality Classrooms’ creators. Between 1938 and 1999, 26 classrooms, each representing a different cultural heritage, have been constructed within the Cathedral of Learning. From China to Italy, from India to England, each classroom represents the beauty and heritage of a particular country—and the intercultural ties that the descendents of those cultures, now living in America, continue to cherish.

University of Pittsburgh students often speak of the very special experiences they gain from participating in classes held in such elegant and culture-rich classrooms.

Nearly 30,000 visitors a year tour the Nationality Classrooms. They stand as monuments to diverse cultural heritages and are expressions of timeless human values.