A guide to the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in the city of New York / Fifth Edition

Name and Namesake

The legal title of the Cathedral is “the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in the City and Diocese of New York.” The adjective “cathedral,” commonly used as a noun, is derived from the Greek word “cathedra” which means “seat.” In the Cathedral is the cathedra of the Bishop of the Diocese of New York. It is not a parish church and has no members in the sense in which a parish church has members; but persons desiring to assist in cathedral work may join the auxiliary organizations mentioned on page 115 following. The Cathedral is the chief church of the Diocese which embraces 294 different parishes and missions.

The Cathedral is named after the author of the fourth Gospel, the three “epistles general” bearing the name of John, and the book of “The Revelation of St. John the Divine.” The word “Divine” in the title is not an adjective[2] but is a noun in apposition with “St. John” and is rendered in the seal of the Cathedral by the Latin word “theologus,” meaning “theologian.” St. John was one of the twelve Apostles, and a brother of St. James the Great. He was “the Disciple whom Jesus loved” (John xiii. 23), an expression implying exceptional sweetness and lovableness of character. He founded the seven churches in Asia referred to in the Book of Revelation. Toward the end of his ministrations, in which he suffered many persecutions, he was banished to the Isle of Patmos, where he wrote the Book of Revelation. When he returned from this exile, he continued his work until he died at the advanced age of over 90 years. His traditional grave is at Ephesus. The two principal symbols of St. John are the eagle with book, (explained in connection with the symbols of the four Evangelists on page 44) and the chalice, the latter sometimes having a serpent issuing from it. The sacramental cup without the serpent is sometimes interpreted to refer to Christ’s reply to James and John: “Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of” (Mark x. 39). The cup with the serpent refers to the tradition related by St. Isidore to the effect that at Rome an attempt was made to poison St. John in the communion wine, but that by a miracle the poison vanished from the chalice in the form of a serpent. The Memorial Day for St. John is kept on December 27.

Location and Access

The Cathedral is located between Cathedral parkway (110th street,) Amsterdam avenue, 113th street, and Morningside drive.

The Cathedral can be reached by taking the Broadway subway to 110th street and walking one block east and two north; the Broadway surface line to 112th street and walking one block east; the Amsterdam avenue surface line to the entrance at 112th street; the 6th and 9th avenue elevated line to 110th street and walking two blocks west and two north; or Fifth avenue omnibuses marked route “4” via 110th street, or ’buses transferring thereto.

Morningside Heights being 100 feet above the level of the adjacent Harlem Plain, the Cathedral commands a sweeping prospect toward the northeast, east, and southeast, over the roofs of the city and past the trees of Central Park to the regions beyond the Harlem and East rivers; while from the main entrance at Amsterdam avenue and 112th street, one can look westward to the Hudson and see the columned Palisades on the New Jersey shore beyond. Morningside Heights is the modern name for the ground on which the battle of Harlem Heights was fought on September 16, 1776. Washington, whose figure occupies a niche in the Choir Parapet (page 51) and adorns the entrance to the Synod House (p. 114), personally directed the troops in this engagement. At that period an old colonial road ran through the Cathedral site and down the Heights of Morningside Park to the ancient King’s Highway or Post Road. During the War of 1812, the Cathedral grounds were immediately within the lines of defence erected in 1814, one of the blockhouses of which stood on the bluff on the eastern side of Morningside drive just northeast of 113th st.[3]

The Cathedral grounds,—called the “Close,” from the practice in olden times of securing the privacy of the cathedral precincts by enclosing them with a wall and gates,—comprise 11½ acres. Upon them are situated, besides the Cathedral, the Old Synod House (brick with columned portico, formerly the Leake & Watts Orphan Asylum,) the Bishop’s House and Deanery, the Choir School, the New Synod House, and St. Faith’s Training School for Deaconesses. See plan and descriptions of buildings hereafter. The Close cost $850,000 and the buildings other than the Cathedral about $1,000,000. A portion of the Close is set apart for recreation grounds for the boys of the choir; and a portion of the lawn as a playground for small children.

Administration and Clergy

The affairs of the Cathedral are in the hands of a Board of 25 Trustees which constitutes the Corporation, and is composed of the Bishop of New York, 12 other clergymen and 12 laymen. The Bishop is President of the Board.

The Clergy of the Cathedral are the Bishop, Dean, Canon Bursar, Canon Sacrist, Canon Precentor, and the Honorary Canons, not to exceed seven in number. The Bishop is elected by the Diocesan Convention and the election must be confirmed by a majority of the Bishops and Dioceses of the Episcopal Church. The Dean and Canons are nominated by the Bishop and elected by the Trustees. The Bishop, besides his diocesan duties, has general direction of the services of the Cathedral, which direction he expresses through the Dean. The use of the Cathedral for worship and for charitable and benevolent work is entrusted to the Dean and Chapter. The Chapter consists of the Dean, the Bursar, the Sacrist, and such other Canons as may be elected. The Dean is Chairman of the Cathedral Chapter and the executive head of the Cathedral, leading and co-ordinating the various branches of its work. The Canon Bursar is the agent of the Treasurer of the Corporation, receives the offerings and sees that they are applied to their proper objects, and is Supervisor of Buildings and Grounds. The Canon Sacrist has the care of the Cathedral as a place of worship and is Master of Ceremonies on all occasions. The Canon Precentor is responsible for the fitting performance of the musical parts of the Cathedral services. The offices of Canon Sacrist and Canon Precentor are vacant, their duties being performed by the Precentor. The Dean and Canons may have Vicars as assistants.

Following is the Cathedral Staff:

Bishop of New York

• The Right Rev. William Thomas Manning, D.D., LL.D., D.C.L.

Dean

• The Very Rev. Howard Chandler Robbins, D.D.

Canon Bursar

• The Rev. Robert Ellis Jones, D.D.

Precentor

• The Rev. Henry Purcell Veazie, M.A. (Oxon.)

Honorary Canons

• The Rev. George Francis Nelson, D.D.
• The Rev. George William Douglas, D.D.
• The Rev. George Frederick Clover, M.A.
• The Rev. Harold Adye Prichard, M.A.
• The Rev. Pascal Harrower, M.A.

Head Master of the Choir School

• William Lester Henry, A.B.

Organist and Master of the Choristers

• Miles Farrow, M.A., Mus. Doc.

Head Verger

• Thomas Meatyard.

The post-office address of any of the above mentioned is “The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York, N. Y.”

The Bishop’s office is in the new Synod House at the corner of Amsterdam Avenue and Cathedral Parkway. The offices of the Dean, Canon Bursar, etc., are in the old Synod House which stands on the site of the South Transept. (See page 9).

Seals of Diocese and Cathedral

The seal of the Diocese is in the form of a pointed oval, or vesica,[4] and is as follows:

Quarterly gules and argent, over all a cross counter-changed of the same. In dexter chief the American eagle with wings displayed or; in sinister chief and dexter base the sails of a windmill proper from the arms of the City of New York. In sinister base two swords in saltire or from the arms of the see of London. Surmounted by an episcopal mitre proper. The arms surmounted on a field purpure and enclosed by a bordure azure lined (or edged) or bearing the legend “Seal of the Diocese of New York MDCCLXXXV” or.

The red color (gules) and the swords are historically reminiscent of the fact that prior to the Independence of the United States the church throughout the American Colonies was under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Diocese of London.

The seal of the Cathedral, also vesica-shaped, is as follows:

Tierce in pairle reversed. 1st, from the arms of the City of New York: argent four sails of a windmill in saltire, between the ends in chief and base a beaver couchant, in fess dexter and sinister a barrel of flour all proper. 2d, from the arms of the State of New York: azure in a landscape the sun in fess rising in splendor or behind a range of three mountains the middle one the highest, in base a ship and sloop under sail passing and about to meet on a river bordered below by a grassy shore fringed with shrubs all proper. 3d, azure seven six-pointed stars argent between as many candlesticks or. Surmounted by an episcopal mitre proper. Enclosed by a bordure gules edged or bearing the legend “Sigil. Eccles. Cath. S. Johann. Theol. N. Ebor.” or.

The seven stars and candlesticks refer to the Revelation of St. John the Divine, i. 20.

Services

The Cathedral is open for private prayer and meditation every day of the year from 7.30 a. m. to 5.30 p. m. There is a service in one of the chapels every week-day at 7.30 a. m. The principal Sunday services are at 8 a. m., 11 a. m. and 4 p. m., the latter two being with full choral service and sermon. Other services are held on week-days and Sundays as announced from time to time. As before stated, all seats are free, and residents and strangers of all denominations are cordially welcome.

The Cathedral service is neither “high” nor “low.” It is the prescribed liturgy of the Church, with a fully choral rendering and congregational participation. Except during the vacation season, there are usually about 60 persons in the procession. The processional hymn is begun in the Ambulatory, through the south gate of which the procession enters the Crossing and goes to the Choir. First comes the crucifer, followed in order by the boys of the choir, the men of the choir, the Head Master of the Choir School, the Verger and the clergy in inverse order of their rank. The Bishop, if present, comes last, and is immediately preceded by the Verger and an acolyte bearing the Bishop’s pastoral staff.[5] If the Bishop is absent, the Dean comes last, preceded by the Verger. If neither Bishop nor Dean is present, the Verger precedes all the clergy. The Verger (in black gown with purple facings), carries a silver staff surmounted by the figure of an angel holding a tablet on which is engraved the symbol of St. John the Divine, the chalice with emerging serpent. When preceding the Bishop he carries his staff upright at his right shoulder, but when going before the other clergy he carries it in the hollow of his left arm. The organist and Master of the Choristers, wearing the gown and hood of Doctor of Music, is usually invisible, being seated at the console in the gallery on the screen at the south side of the Choir. At extraordinary musical services, an orchestra is seated in the Choir, between the stalls, and then the Master of the Choristers stands in the Choir, from which point he directs the singers, orchestra and assistant organist. The recessional is in the same order as the processional. After entering the Ambulatory, the procession halts while a dismissal prayer or hymn is said or sung there, and the solemn service ends with a far-away “Amen” from the unseen choir.[6]

Visitors

Visitors may see the Cathedral at all times between 7.30 a. m. and 5.30 p. m. except during the hours of service. The Verger is usually in attendance.

Architecture

The architects of the Cathedral have been: Messrs. George L. Heins and C. Grant LaFarge from July, 1891, until Mr. Heins’ death in September, 1907;[7] Mr. LaFarge from September, 1907, until the completion of the Choir in April, 1911; and Messrs. Cram & Ferguson from April, 1911, to the present time. Mr. Henry Vaughan was architect of three of the Seven Chapels of Tongues, Messrs. Heins & LaFarge of two, Messrs. Cram & Ferguson of one and Messrs. Carrere & Hastings of one, as mentioned hereafter.

The prevailing style of the Cathedral will be French Gothic. The north of France, it will be remembered, is the birthplace of Gothic architecture. There, in the region so recently devastated by war, Gothic architecture rose and reached the flower of perfection in such monuments as Amiens, Rheims, Notre Dame (Paris), Chartres, Beauvais, and Rouen Cathedrals and many other churches, great and small.

Plan and Size

The plan of the Cathedral is cruciform (symbolism, the cross on which Christ was crucified;) and is oriented so that the priest standing at the High Altar faces the east (the rising sun symbolizing the resurrection, and the orientation also connoting the ideas of Christ “the Sun of Righteousness,” “the Dayspring from on High,” and the “Morning Star”).[8] Seven chapels, called the Chapels of Tongues, radiate from the Apse, or semi-circular eastern end of the Choir.

The loftiest features of the elevation are the two towers of the West Front (q. v.) and the great Central Tower above the Crossing. The latter, in the design now under consideration, consists of a dodecagonal lantern, carried up from the square Crossing in two stages, the upper smaller than the lower, and surmounted by a flèche or open-work spire rising to a height of 500 feet (including cross) above the ground.

When completed, the Cathedral will extend from Morningside drive to Amsterdam avenue, more than a tenth of a mile. It will be 601 feet long and 315 feet wide across the Transepts, and, with an area of 109,082 square feet, will be the third largest in the world, St. Peter’s at Rome being first and Seville Cathedral second.

The seating capacity of the Crossing in which the congregation ordinarily sits is 1,500; but on special occasions, when chairs are placed in the Ambulatory and people are admitted to the Choir Stalls, the Cathedral can accommodate about 3,500. When the church is finished, it will seat 7,000 and will accommodate several thousand more standing.

Progress of Construction

The Founder of the Cathedral was the Right Rev. Horatio Potter, (Provisional Bishop 1854-1861 and Bishop of New York 1861-1887), who proposed it in 1872. The charter was granted by the Legislature of the state of New York in 1873. The Right Rev. Henry Codman Potter, (Assistant Bishop 1883-1887 and Bishop of New York 1887-1908), nephew and successor of Bishop Horatio Potter, actively forwarded the movement for raising funds in 1886. The Close was purchased from the Leake & Watts Orphan Asylum by deed dated October 31, 1891. The first service on the ground was held January 1, 1892. The corner-stone was laid on St. John’s Day, December 27, 1892.[9] The first service was held in the Crypt January 8, 1899, and the first service in the Choir and Crossing (being the consecration service) April 19, 1911. Ground was broken for the Nave May 8, 1916, by the Right Rev. David Hummell Greer, (Bishop Coadjutor 1904-1908 and Bishop of New York 1908-1919). The parts thus far built are the Crypt, Choir, seven Chapels of Tongues, Crossing and foundation for the Nave. The Mohegan golden granite for the walls of the Nave is now being quarried near Peekskill, N. Y., and is being delivered on the grounds. Some details of the Choir and Crossing are unfinished. The completed portion of the Cathedral has cost about $4,000,000, and it is estimated that the Nave, West Front, Transepts, Spire, etc., will cost about $15,000,000, making the total estimated cost about $19,000,000.

Funds for Building

Visitors to the Cathedral repeatedly ask when it will be finished. It is impossible to answer this question definitely. Some of the cathedrals of the Old World have been seven hundred years in building and are not yet completed. The things which endure the longest are generally of slow growth,[10] and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine is no exception to this rule. It is not a steel-frame structure, but is of massive masonry in the best traditions of Gothic architecture and is being built to stand for ages. Its physical construction must therefore necessarily be slow.

It is to be remembered, also, that the financial resources for the building of a modern cathedral are different from those which supplied the means for building many of the Old World churches. Westminster Abbey was built almost entirely from revenues of the Kings from Henry III. to Henry VII. St. Paul’s in London was partly built by the gifts of penitents who performed their penances in money. Occasionally an ancient shrine grew into a great church in consequence of some tradition or superstition which caused a continuous stream of illustrious persons to shower wealth, privileges and honors upon it. Pope Honorius prescribed collections in all Christendom for the building of Rheims Cathedral. The metropolitan church of St. Rombold’s, in Malines, Belgium, was built with money paid by pilgrims who flocked thither in the 14th and 15th centuries to obtain indulgences issued by Pope Nicholas V.; and the Tour de Beurre (butter tower) of Bourges Cathedral, like the tower of the same name at Rouen, “derives its name from having been erected with money paid for indulgences to eat butter in Lent.” (Baedeker.)

To-day, however, reliance is placed entirely upon voluntary contributions. Some of the larger gifts to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine are mentioned hereafter, but there have been many other large ones and innumerable smaller ones equally acceptable from donors irrespective of denominational affiliations who have caught the civic and patriotic as well as the religious inspiration of what is to be America’s greatest cathedral. In a general way, it may be said that the Cathedral will be finished as fast as funds are provided;—and no faster, for the authorities have rigidly maintained the provision of the statute, building only what can be paid for, and worshippers are therefore not kneeling on any debt. Anyone desiring here to enshrine a loving memory or to embody the offering of a grateful heart may place a donation to the Building Fund in the alms-basin or in the box at the door, or send it to the Dean at the Cathedral offices in the old Synod House, at Amsterdam avenue and 112th street, New York City.

Foundation and Superstructure

The foundation of the Cathedral is of Maine granite. Although the bed-rock of Morningside Heights (Manhattan schist) lies near the surface, it is so disintegrated near the top that it was necessary to go down 72 feet in some places in order that the Cathedral might rest securely on the “living rock.” The excavation and foundation alone cost a quarter of a million dollars. The main walls of the superstructure are also of granite, faced on the outside of the finished portion with Mohegan golden granite quarried near Peekskill, N. Y., and on the inside with a soft buff-colored limestone or dolomite called Frontenac stone from Pepin county, Wis. The great flying buttresses and massive piers of the Crossing, exposed in their rugged unfinished state, exhibit the dark Maine granite. Local materials are mentioned in their appropriate places.

Exterior Survey

Before entering the Cathedral the visitor should make a circuit of the Close (beginning on the south side and going eastward), comparing the outlines of the Cathedral with the plan and noting the location of the other buildings. This will give him a better understanding of the interior of the Cathedral and of its ultimate connection with the Bishop’s House and the Choir School by means of cloisters. It will be noted that the Old Synod House (brick, with Ionic-columned portico) occupies the site of the South Transept.

The Seven Chapels of Tongues, (see page 69 et seq.,) may be identified on the exterior by the following characteristics (south to north): Chapel of St. James, rectangular plan, crenelated parapet of roof, and pinnacles on buttresses. Chapel of St. Ambrose, half round window arches. Chapel of St. Martin of Tours, fleurs de lis in quatrefoils above large windows; narrow pointed arch windows with single lights in basement. Chapel of St. Saviour (easternmost), rectangular plan; cross on gable; statues in niches of buttresses and wall. Chapel of St. Columba, angel on roof; statues in niches of buttresses. Chapel of St. Boniface, statues in niches of buttresses; small mullioned windows of three lights in basement. Chapel of St. Ansgarius, rectangular plan; parapet of quatrefoil tracery; pinnacles on buttresses.

Three of the chapels have the following sculptures by Mr. Gutzon Borglum: Chapel of St. Saviour: On eastern wall above the great window, the Christ Child; in niches of buttresses on either side of window, Angels of the Resurrection; and beneath the window, the Virgin, seated between (left) St. Simeon who blessed the infant Jesus (Luke ii. 25-35) and (right) St. Zacharias, father of John the Baptist (Luke i. 67-80).[11] Chapel of St. Columba: On roof, an angel with hands joined in prayer; in upper part of great window, St. Columba with tamed wolf, recalling how he subdued wild beasts as well as wild tribes; and in niches of buttresses the four patron saints of the British Isles (left to right): St. David of Wales in beretta and fringed gown: St. George of England in armor with cross on shield and dragon at feet; St. Andrew of Scotland with diagonal cross[12]; and St. Patrick of Ireland, in Bishop’s robes, with crozier in right hand and shamrock in left. Chapel of St. Boniface: In niches of buttresses, Charlemagne, with crown and sword; Alcuin, Charlemagne’s preceptor, in monastic garb with manuscripts in right hand; Gutenberg, with book in each hand, his initials “J.G.” on one; and Luther, in scholar’s gown, with book between hands.

The Clerestory of the Choir rises above the roofs of the chapels. In the canopied niches near the top of the turrets and buttresses are 10 stone figures 9½ feet high by Mr. Borglum, as follows (south to north): St. James the Less with fuller’s club (indicating manner of his martyrdom), and St. Philip with Latin cross (symbol of his crucifixion), together on turret; St. Bartholomew[13]; St. Thomas with square (spiritual architect); St. James the Great with staff (pilgrim); St. Peter with key (to the kingdom of Heaven); St. Andrew with diagonal cross; St. Matthew[13] with drapery over head; and St. Simeon with saw, and St. Jude with spear, (indicating manner of their death), together on turret.

Fourteen Stone Shields (only 12 in place), in the spandrels of the clerestory windows above the seven Chapels of Tongues, bear (or will bear) the following devices (south to north:) Above Chapel of St. James, (left) winged ox; and (right) artist’s palette, brushes and maulsticks, and lily, symbolizing St. Luke.[14] Above Chapel of St. Ambrose (left) lily, and (right) rose, both symbols of the Virgin Mary. Above Chapel of St. Martin of Tours, (left) eagle, and (right) chalice, symbols of St. John. Above Chapel of St. Saviour, (left) letters ΙϹ, ΧϹ, ΝΙ, ΚΑ, in four quarters formed by a Greek cross, signifying Jesus Christ Conquers; and (right), initials SP, SF, SS, of the Latin words Sanctus Pater, Sanctus Filius, Sanctus Spiritus, (Holy Father, Holy Son, Holy Spirit,) in a trefoil, symbolizing the Trinity.[15] Above Chapel of St. Columba, (left) crossed keys, symbol of St. Peter, and (right) crossed swords, symbol of St. Paul. Above Chapel of St. Boniface, (left) winged lion; and (right) fig tree, both symbols of St. Mark. Above Chapel of St. Ansgarius, (left) winged man and (right) axe and book, both symbols of St. Matthew.

Surmounting the roof of the Choir, and facing eastward, is a bronze statue, 9½ feet high, by Mr. Borglum, representing St. Gabriel as Angel of the Resurrection, blowing a trumpet.

West Front

Returning to Amsterdam avenue at 112th street, we come to what will be the main entrance of the Cathedral. In the space (now unoccupied) between the sidewalk and the foundation of the Nave will be the West Front (see figure 1 of plan). The tentative design for the West Front provides for three large and two smaller recessed portals, similar to the plan of Bourges Cathedral. Above the north and south portals rise two heavily buttressed square towers, named after St. Peter (north) and St. Paul (south), presenting strong relief. Above the central portal is the great Rose Window, flanked by the mullioned Gothic windows of the towers. Above these, a gallery of niches containing statues extends entirely across the façade, after the manner of the Gallery of Kings at Rheims Cathedral. Above this rise the belfries of the two towers, each surmounted by pointed turrets at the four corners, while between them, just above the gallery, appears the gable of the Nave. The West front is 220 feet wide and 80 feet deep, including the buttressing. The towers are 50 feet square, 235 feet high to the top of the parapets and 265 feet high to the top of the pinnacles.

The Nave

Crossing the space to be occupied by the West Front, we ascend temporary steps to the foundation of the Nave (figure 2 of plan). Superstructure not yet begun (June 15th, 1924). Here the visitor should pause and imagine himself entering the western limb of the Cathedral, 225 feet long, 132 feet wide, 175 feet high outside and 130 feet high inside, built in pure 13th century Gothic adapted to the requirements of the plan. The central aisle,[16]—as wide between the centers of piers as 112th street is between building lines—has two narrower aisles on each side. Instead of the closely-grown-up forest effect produced by the columns of many Gothic cathedrals, an air of openness and spaciousness, which distinguishes this Cathedral throughout, is given by the relatively small number of piers and columns and their ingenious disposition. In this arrangement the architect has made two notable departures from the ordinary Gothic type: One is the erection of the clerestory on the secondary line of columns (those nearest the side walls,) which modifies the exterior system of flying buttresses, and the other is the introduction of intermediate slender columns in the primary line of piers, resolving the Nave into a system of four squares or double bays instead of eight rectangular bays. As the primary ranges of piers and columns rise to the spring of the arches which support the roof of the Nave, instead of being shortened to support the clerestory, an effect of great spaciousness and lofty aspiration is produced; and this arrangement, together with the rhythmic alternation of great piers and relatively small clustered columns, allows a play of light and shade surpassing that of any mediaeval cathedral. Under the roofs of the north and south aisles runs the triforium gallery; and there are many beautiful details of ornament, including the tracery, panelling, capitals, niches, pinnacles and sculptures. A light and cheerful effect is produced by the illumination through 32 stained glass windows—eight in the aisle and eight in the clerestory on each side,—and the great Rose Window in the west end.

While standing at the west end of the foundation, the visitor should survey the great area of floor space that lies before him; then, looking eastward 225 feet (the length of a city block and half the width of a street) imagine the present temporary west wall of the Crossing removed, and the view extended about 225 feet farther to the High Altar in the Sanctuary. He will then have an idea of the great vista of the completed church.

Speaking of the building of the Cathedral in general and of the Nave in particular, in his address to the 138th Annual Convention of the Diocese of New York on May 11, 1921, Bishop Manning said: “As to the practical value and importance of the Cathedral, no one who knows anything of its work or of the multitudes that gather here for worship can entertain a question. Large as it is, the present space is insufficient. The Nave is urgently needed, not only that the great ideal which the building embodies may be carried forward, but that there may be room for the people who come for spiritual help, and that the Cathedral may meet its unequalled missionary opportunity. I hope that our people, and especially those who have the stewardship of wealth, will keep this great spiritual and missionary enterprise in mind, and that many may be moved to aid it. The building waits only for the necessary funds. And in the revised drawings, we at last have plans which by their majesty and beauty worthily express the aim and ideal of this great structure ... I believe that we have now a plan worthy of the unequalled opportunity of this glorious Temple of God, and of its relation to the greatest and most complex city in the world. I believe that for the carrying forward towards completion of such a building as this, of which the whole country may be proud, and for the upholding of the spiritual, social and civic ideals which it embodies, not only the people of our own Church but many others in this metropolis and elsewhere will be glad to make their gifts and to have their part and share with us.”

The Crossing

Walking the length of the Nave foundation (2 on plan) we pass through temporary doorways and enter the Crossing (3), so-called from its location at the intersection of the long and short arms of the cruciform ground plan. In this space, 100 feet square, floored with concrete, are 1500 chairs for the congregation. To the eastward, the Crossing opens into the Choir (10) and Ambulatory (12-12). On the north, west and south sides the spaces between the ponderous piers of Maine granite are filled with temporary windows and concrete walls which will be removed when the Nave (2) and the North and South Transepts (4 and 5) are built. The removal of these temporary walls will improve the acoustics. The rough, unadorned piers on the north, west and south sides will eventually be faced with Frontenac stone like those on the east side. The massiveness of this masonry may be judged by the fact that a single pair of these piers with their connecting arch weighs 4000 tons. The Dome of the Crossing, 162 feet (just the height of Niagara Falls) above the floor, is a remarkable piece of construction, the tiles having been laid by the ingenious Gustavino method without the support of scaffolding. The present dome is temporary; the permanent vault will be 200 feet above the floor. Mr. J. P. Morgan, Mr. George S. Bowdoin and Mr. Harris C. Fahnestock were large contributors to the building of the Crossing.

The Pulpit, a memorial of Bishop Henry Codman Potter, is made of Knoxville, Tenn., marble, an uncrystalline limestone favorable for very fine work. On the newel posts of the stairs are the figures of the two great prophets of the Old and New Testaments, Isaiah (south) and John the Baptist (north.) In the five principal Gothic niches are as many scenes in the life of Christ (north to south): The Nativity, Jesus Among the Doctors, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, and the Supper at Emmaus (Luke xxiv. 30-31). In the smaller niches are the figures of eight great exponents of the Holy Scriptures and champions of human freedom (north to south); St. Jerome, St. Gregory, St. Chrysostom, St. Peter, St. Paul, Hugh Latimer, Bossuet, and Bishop Phillips Brooks of Massachusetts.[17] Beneath these niches runs a moulding of grape-vine design symbolizing Christ the true vine[18] (John xv. 1) and beneath this one of roses symbolizing Christ the Rose of Sharon (Cant. ii. 1). On the base are the symbols of the four Evangelists: The winged man for St. Matthew, winged lion for St. Mark, winged ox for St. Luke, and eagle for St. John.[19] The pulpit is surmounted by a carved oak canopy of Gothic tracery, upon which is the beginning of the Gloria in Excelsis:

On the side of the stairs is inscribed:

The pulpit, which cost $30,000, was designed by Mr. Henry Vaughan and executed by Messrs. John Evans & Co. of Boston.

Barberini Tapestries. The tapestries in the Crossing and Ambulatory were woven in the first half of the 17th century on the papal looms founded by Cardinal Barberini under the patronage of his uncle Pope Urban VIII. They were executed under the direction of the master weaver Jacques della Riviera from cartoons painted by Jean Francois Romanelli. The cartoons are now in the Vatican. The tapestries, originally designed for the throne room of the Barberini Palace at Rome, afterward a part of the Ffoulke Collection in Washington, and finally presented to the Cathedral by Mrs. Elizabeth U. Coles, are twelve in number and represent scenes in the life of Christ. Four of them hang in the Crossing as follows: In the northeast corner, the Delivery of the Keys to St. Peter; southeast corner, the Last Supper; southwest corner, the Adoration of the Shepherds; and northwest corner, the Flight of Joseph and Mary with the infant Jesus into Egypt. Seven hang in the Ambulatory, as follows (north to south): Christ’s Baptism, the Annunciation, the Adoration of the Magi, the Crucifixion (directly behind and above the High Altar,) the Transfiguration, the Resurrection, and the Agony in the Garden. The twelfth, a map of the Holy Land, is not at present hung. These works are all 15 feet 8 inches high and average 14 feet 1 inch wide. The Delivery of the Keys to St. Peter, the Last Supper, and the Flight into Egypt are more than 17 feet wide. These tapestries appear more like paintings than products of the loom.

The Litany Desk at the eastern end of the middle aisle (often removed) is of carved oak. Surmounting the ends are two praying angels, while on the front are statues of St. Michael with sword, St. John with chalice, and St. Gabriel with lilies, all facing the Altar. An inscription reads:

The desk was given by the Laymen’s Club.

The Choir

Architecture. The Choir (10) may best be surveyed from the eastern end of the Crossing. (Visitors not admitted to Choir during service time except by permission.) The half-round arches and other features exhibit a late Romanesque style with Byzantine influence, which is not inappropriate to the eastern end of the Cathedral, and which will relatively become a local detail as the prevailing Gothic style of the whole Cathedral develops.[20] The interior facing is of Frontenac stone. Numerous symbols from the Revelation of St. John the Divine will appear as the description of the Choir and its environs proceeds. The first to attract attention is the broad course of red jasper from South Dakota seen at the base of the piers of the great Choir arch. This foundation course, which appears in the Ambulatory (12-12-12) running entirely around the Choir, recalls St. John’s description of the Heavenly City: “And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was of jasper” (Rev. xxi. 19). The green moulding above the jasper is Pennsylvania serpentine. The floor of the Choir has three principal levels. From the Crossing 5 steps lead to the Choir proper, which contains the stalls for the clergy and choristers and which occupies the first two bays. An ascent of six more steps leads to the second level which may be designated as the Presbytery. Upon it are the two thrones hereafter mentioned and the altar rail, the latter a step higher.[21] In the Sanctuary within the altar rail, 4 steps lead to the third level upon which stands the Altar with its 3 white steps.[22] Around the Sanctuary stand eight Great Columns described hereafter. The principal donor to the building of the Choir was the late Hon. Levi Parsons Morton (Vice-President of the United States 1889-93, Governor of the State of New York 1895-96) who, after the Great Columns were erected, gave $600,000 toward the completion of the fabric and the installation of the Altar, Reredos, Organ, Choir Stalls, Bishop’s Throne, and some other furnishings. This sum was generously supplemented by Mrs. Morton. The ornate Altar Rail of English oak is inscribed: