Architecture Spotlight: New York (Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine)
Aloha! I sincerely hope you are well! For this post we’ll be spotlighting the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, situated in Manhattan off Amsterdam Avenue between 111th and 113th streets. This structure competes with the Liverpool Cathedral in England for bragging rights on the largest Anglican/Episcopal cathedral in the world, and is also the fourth largest church building in the world (this article spells out the differences between a church and cathedral). This cathedral has survived two World Wars, has hosted speeches from notables like Martin Luther King, and funeral services for Duke Elington and James Baldwin (Duke Elington also conducted the “Second” in his Sacred Concert series at this Cathedral). Lots of interesting details to cover, so let’s get to it.
History
In 1828, Bishop Hobart (who had succeeded Benjamin Moore as the Episcopal Bishop of New York in 1816) a passionate advocate for the Episcopal movement in New York, planted the first seed for the building of an Episcopal cathedral in the city. His vision would be carried forward by Horatio Potter and his nephew, Henry Potter (both Bishops of the Episcopal Diocese in New York), the latter whom would lead the charge in securing financing for the project. A design competition was initiated for the project in 1888, which was won in 1891 by Heins & LaFarge. The original designs by Heins & LaFarge featured Romanesque and Byzantine elements. Official construction began in early 1893. George Heins, half of Heins & LaFarge architects and the face of the business passed away in 1907, and noted Gothicist architect Ralph Cram seized the opportunity and campaigned to take the design contract away from Christopher LaFarge, the remaining partner from Heins & LaFarge. Ralph Cram would eventually win the contract, resulting in significant Gothic style additions. Construction on the cathedral has been ongoing for a couple of years (halting during various recessions and wars), and is still happening today.
Design
Today the tallest point at the cathedral stands at 601 feet. The cathedral’s west end holds the largest rose window in the United States (designed by Charles Connick using 10,000 pieces of glass).
The cathedral also has the longest nave in the United States! I must admit, I wasn’t sure what a nave was myself when it comes to church/cathedral lingo, see below for a simple illustration:
The cathedral also holds seven chapels (Chapels of the Tongues) that sit by a walkway behind the choir. Each chapel was built to represent a different part of New York’s diverse ethnic populace, and each is devoted to a patron Saint.
Granite arches and columns provide support for the cathedral, a surviving Romanesque element designed by Heins & LaFarge. The main Bronze doors of the cathedral were built by Ferdinand Barbedienne. The cathedral also has a garden and a “poets corner,” devoted to American writers.
Perhaps the most striking feature of the cathedral are its many apocalyptic sculptures. On the outside walls greeting visitors are sculptures depicting the visions of John. In the Bible and Christian theology, “John” is the name of the mysterious character that penned the book of Revelation, which are essentially a series of prophetic visions about the second coming of Jesus Christ (and the end of the world). Older/traditional Christian theory suggests this John is the same John that was an Apostle of Jesus, while many modern theologians believe the John of revelation is actually an unknown figure. Whatever the case, the sculptures on the outside of the cathedral depict “John’s” apocalyptic visions, and show New York City in particular being destroyed. The sculptures were created by acclaimed British artist Simon Verity from 1988–1997, and include St. John himself standing on top of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. On the grounds of the cathedral towards the south sits another intriguing bronze sculpture called the Peace Fountain. This piece, designed by Greg Wyatt depicts the struggle between good and evil and features the archangel St. Michael embracing a giraffe, with the decapitated head of Satan hanging below.
If you’re in the New York City area, I definitely recommend you check out the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. I’ve only skimmed the surface with this article, there are many more treasures I did not cover that can be found in the cathedral! And the amazing thing is, as I type this the cathedral is still under construction! Hopefully more sculptures will be added to its already impressive inventory. I personally loved researching this landmark: one of the more interesting finds I’ve made. I love the Gothic aspect; reminds me of the landscape design you’ll find in video games like Darksiders, Bloodborne, Darksouls or the Batman Arkham series. Enjoy the remaining pics below. You can visit the cathedral’s official website at www.stjohndivine.org to learn more about their upcoming programs and events. Enjoy!
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