The Bishop’s House (A. on plan) is in French Gothic architecture of the chateau type, with lofty roof and high dormer windows, and is built of Germantown micaceous schist. It is designed to be connected with the Cathedral by cloisters, and is connected with the Deanery by a vaulted porch above which is to be built the Bishop’s private chapel. The extreme outside dimensions of the Bishop’s House are 77 by 126 feet, including the porch. The architects were Messrs. Cram & Ferguson.[49] The occupants of the house have been Bishop Greer from the time of its opening in 1914 until his death May 19, 1919; Bishop Burch from his installation October 28, 1919, until his death December 20, 1920; and Bishop Manning since his consecration on May 11, 1921.
The Deanery (B. on plan) adjoins the Bishop’s House as above mentioned. It is by the same architect, is in the same style but of a more domestic type, forms a part of the same architectural composition, and is built of the same kind of stone. It is not so lofty a structure as the Bishop’s House, but has many interesting details, particularly on the southern façade. Its extreme outside measurements are about 79 by 93 feet. The late Dean Grosvenor occupied the Deanery from the time of its erection until his death December 9, 1916, and was succeeded by Dean Robbins in June, 1917. A tablet in the porch is inscribed:
“The Deanery ‖ erected in ‖ Faithful Remembrance ‖ of ‖ Clinton Ogilvie ‖ 1838-1900 ‖ by his wife ‖ Helen Slade Ogilvie ‖ A. D. 1913.”
THE BISHOP’S HOUSE
The Choir School (C. on Plan) has a special interest for everyone who goes to the Cathedral, for here are educated and trained the boys who sing in the Cathedral services. The school was founded by Bishop H. C. Potter in 1901 and was formerly located in the Old Synod House. The present building, erected in 1912 and built of the same kind of stone as the Bishop’s House and Deanery, is in the English Collegiate Gothic style of architecture; is three stories high, and has extreme outside dimensions of 83 by 150 feet. Messrs. Walter Cook and Winthrop A. Welch were the architects. The building contains offices, a general school room which is equipped with apparatus for both stereopticon and moving pictures, a choir rehearsal room with stalls, individual rooms for vocal and instrumental practice, a fine large common room with open fire-place for reading and social intercourse, dining room, kitchen, dormitories, a big gymnasium, a sick room to which a boy is transferred upon the first sign of any illness, etc. Accommodations are provided for 40 resident scholars and 20 day scholars. Their musical training is under the personal direction of the organist and Master of the Choristers, and their general education under the direction of the Head Master and staff of under-masters. A sympathetic House Mother looks out for the personal wants of the boys and directs the domestic service; and competent physicians and trained nurses are in attendance when necessary. Boys are admitted to the school at the age of 9 and remain until their voices change, which is usually between the ages of 13 and 14. They come from all parts of the United States and possessions, two boys recently having come from Alaska. An applicant is first received on probation, and if he manifests a good character and disposition, and gives promise of a good voice, he is accepted as a chorister. Until they become full choristers, vested with cassock and cotta, probationers sit in separate choir stalls in the Cathedral services and wear only their black student gowns. During their residence at the school, the boys are under strict but gentle discipline and have the finest education and musical training that can be given them. Their board, education and musical training are free, in return for which they give their services as choristers. When they leave the school, they are followed by the interest of the Cathedral organizations which endeavor to secure scholarships for their higher education. The men of the choir, of whom there are about 20, do not reside at the Choir School. The usual number of choristers, men and boys, in the Cathedral services is about 60, except during the summer vacation when the number is somewhat reduced. There is probably no finer choir school in the world, and the Cathedral music is the highest expression of this form of musical art in this country.
THE DEANERY
THE CHOIR SCHOOL
The Choir School building, which cost nearly $180,000, is the gift of Mrs. J. Jarrett Blodgett in memory of her father Mr. John Hinman Sherwood. At Eastertide, 1914, the late Commodore Frederick G. Bourne, who had sung as a boy in Trinity Church and in later years in the Church of the Incarnation, endowed the school with $500,000; and by his will, probated March 15, 1919, gave $100,000 to the Cathedral toward the building of the Nave and about the same amount to the Choir School endowment. Members of the Diocesan Auxiliary to the Cathedral contributed generously toward the furnishing of the school. A tablet in the porch reads:
“In Faithful Memory of ‖ John Hinman Sherwood ‖ Just Upright True ‖ Erected by his daughter ‖ 1912.”
St. Faith’s House (D. on plan) is the home of the New York Training School for Deaconesses, an independent corporation which was founded in 1890 by the late Rev. William Reed Huntington, D.D., and which occupies a site in the Cathedral Close by permission of the Trustees of the Cathedral. The building of Indiana limestone and brick is in Tudor Gothic architecture, and measures 68 by 137 feet on the outside. It is the gift of Archdeacon Charles C. Tiffany in memory of his wife. The architects were Messrs. Heins & LaFarge.
The Synod House, (E. on plan), standing in the southwestern angle of the Close on the corner of Cathedral parkway and Amsterdam avenue, is the meeting place of the Diocesan Convention and other secular gatherings of the Diocese. It also contains the Bishop’s office and the offices of the Suffragan Bishops, the Rt. Rev. Arthur Selden Lloyd, D.D., and the Rt. Rev. Herbert Shipman, D.D. It is of Kingwood. W. Va., sandstone with pink tinges, quite unlike any other stone in the Cathedral group. The Architecture is pure French Gothic of the 13th century, Messrs. Cram & Ferguson being the architects. Its outside dimensions are 73 by 171 feet. The Western Entrance is a fine example of a mediaeval recessed porch in its architecture and an interesting illustration of the progress of Civilization and Christianity in its sculptures. It contains 43 figures in the round and a relief of 12 figures in the tympanum. The key-note to the composition is the relief in the Tympanum representing Christ sending out his Disciples to baptize and teach all the nations of the world. Beneath this is the inscription:
“All power is given unto me in heaven and earth ‖ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing ‖ them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and ‖ of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all ‖ things whatsoever I have commanded you; and lo ‖ I am with you always even unto the end of the world” (Mat. xxviii. 18-20).
THE SYNOD HOUSE
The archivolt outside of the tympanum is composed of three ranges of Gothic niches in the voussoirs, containing 36 little figures in the round. The outer range represents 14 ancient and modern Apostles of Christianity as follows, beginning at the lowest figure on the left-hand side and reading upward to the center, and thence downward to the lowest right-hand figure: (1) Count Zinzendorf, 1700-1760, German reformer, founder of Moravian Brethren, missionary to American Indians; (2) St. Boniface, 680-755, Apostle of Germany; (3) St. Francis Xavier, 1506-1552, Apostle of the Indies, one of the founders of the Society of Jesus; (4) St. Denis, 3d century, Apostle of the Gauls, Patron Saint of France; (5) St. Olaf, 995-1030, Patron Saint and King of Norway; (6) St. Augustine, died 604, missionary to Britain, first Archbishop of Canterbury; (7) Innocent of Moscow, 1797-1879, Apostle of Alaska and Kamchatka, Archbishop of Moscow; (8) St. Patrick, circ. 372-460, Apostle and Patron Saint of Ireland; (9) John Eliot, 1604-1690, Apostle of American Indians, translator of Bible into Indian language; (10) St. Willibrod, 658-739, Apostle of the Frisians, Archbishop of Utrecht; (11) St. Cyril, 827-869, Apostle of the Slavs, inventor of the Cyrillic alphabet; (12) David Livingstone, 1813-1873, British explorer and missionary in Africa; (13) St. Columba, 521-597, Apostle of Caledonia; (14) Charles George Gordon, “Gordon Pasha,” 1833-1885, British General, promoter of Christianity in China and Egypt. The 12 figures in the middle range represent the Arts and Sciences. In the same order they are: (1) Natural Science, man with microscope; (2) Sculpture, man with mallet and chisel; (3) Medicine, man with book and skull; (4) Literature, woman reading a book; (5) Chemistry, woman holding aloft a retort; (6) Industrial Art, man with vase; (7) Painting, man with palette; (8) Astronomy, man with globe; (9) Mathematics, man wearing spectacles and gown, holding cone and truncated pyramid; (10) Physics, woman with telephone; (11) Music, man with violoncello; (12) Architecture, man[50] holding model of building. The 10 figures in the innermost range represent the Crafts and Industries, as follows: (1) Bookbinding, man making a book; (2) Agriculture, man sowing seed; (3) Metal Industry, man pouring molten metal from ladle; (4) Textile Industry, woman with distaff and shuttle; (5) Navigation, sailor holding telescope with rope at feet; (6) Building, man laying brick; (7) Engineering, man holding tape measure; (8) Fishing, sailor with seine; (9) Mining, man with pickaxe and miner’s cap; (10) Shoemaking, cobbler at his last. Below these, in niches in the splays and central pilaster of the door-way, are 7 larger figures representing Seven Famous Christian Rulers who have carried out the injunction in the tympanum, as follows, (left to right): (1) Emperor Constantine, once ruler of the Roman World and founder of Constantinople, who proclaimed religious toleration and presided over the council which adopted the Nicene Creed; (2) Charlemagne, King of the Franks, Emperor of the revived western Roman empire, who introduced Christianity into conquered countries, maintained popular assemblies, and promoted science, art and letters; (3) Alexis, one of the ablest Emperors of Byzantium and friend of the Crusaders; (4, in center) George Washington, to whose character as Christian soldier, statesman and first President of the United States, attaches local interest from the fact that he commanded the American troops in the Battle of Harlem Heights which was fought partly on the ground occupied by the Cathedral Close; (5) Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, one of the greatest generals, who, with his army in Germany, saved the cause of Protestantism in the Thirty Years War; (6) St. Louis, King of France, the most distinguished monarch of his age, who was noted for his piety, justice and mercy, and who died on a Crusade; and (7) Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, who bore the brunt of the Danish invasions and was a promoter of education and Christianity. The sculptures are by John Evans & Co. of Boston. The Interior decoration of the high roof and open timbers of the truss-work in polychrome is typical of the Middle Ages and the wood panelling is a reminder of 15th century work. The latter is by Messrs. Wm. F. Ross & Co., of Cambridge, Mass. The grisaille windows are by Mr. Charles J. Connick of Boston. The main hall, which seats 800 on the floor and 400 in the gallery, has a large pipe organ built by the Ernest M. Skinner Co. of Boston. The Undercroft (basement) is equipped for use as a refectory. The building cost about $350,000. In the main vestibule, over the outer door-way, is this inscription:
“To the Glory of God and for the Service of His People ‖ This Synod House was Given in the year A. D. 1912 by ‖ John Pierpont Morgan and William Bayard Cutting.”
The Open Air Pulpit (F. on plan) standing in the midst of the Cathedral Close, is in the form of an open-work Gothic spire 40 feet high, built of Daytona stone. On its four sides are the usual symbols of the four Evangelists. The pulpit was designed by Messrs. Howells and Stokes and was presented by Miss Olivia Phelps Stokes in memory of her sister Miss Caroline Phelps Stokes. It was suggested by the outdoor services held here before the Choir and Crossing were ready, and by the open air pulpit attached to the cathedral church at Perugia.
The following organizations of men and women aid in the Cathedral work:
The Diocesan Auxiliary to the Cathedral: President, Mrs. Henry W. Munroe; Vice-Presidents, Mrs. John Greenough, Mrs. Haley Fiske, Mrs. W. M. V. Hoffman; Secretary, Mrs. Louis Mansfield Ogden; Assistant Secretary, Mrs. Francis C. Huntington; Treasurer, Mrs. Harold F. Hadden.
The Cathedral League: President, Mr. John S. Rogers; Vice-President, Hon. Thomas C. T. Crain; Treasurer, Mr. John A. Hance; Secretary, Dr. John B. Walker.
The Laymen’s Club: President, Mr. Theophilus Barratt; Vice-Presidents, Messrs. William W. Borman, Henry M. Sperry, Robert Livingston Stedman; Treasurer, Mr. Charles P. Dietz; Secretary, Mr. J. Hardwick Stagg. Organized 1908, incorporated 1920, “to promote and stimulate interest in the influence, growth and completion of the Cathedral; to bring the Cathedral and its work more completely within the knowledge of the community; and to promote the general welfare of the Cathedral.” Among its activities are the publication of this Guide Book and the Cathedral post-cards, the improvement of the Cathedral grounds, the assisting of a choir boy to complete in some well-known preparatory school his preparation for college, the training of the Cathedral Troop of Boy Scouts, the giving of free lectures, the ushering in the Cathedral, etc.
The Cathedral Ushers are members of the Laymen’s Club as stipulated in a resolution of the Cathedral Trustees passed April 25, 1911, and are designated from week to week by the Canon Sacrist. The badge of the Ushers is a vesica-shaped[51] gold medallion, having in the center an episcopal mitre, surrounded by the legend “Ecclesia Cathedralis S. Johannis Theologi;” suspended by a purple ribbon from a gold bar bearing the word “Usher.”
Copies of this Guide Book may be procured at the Cathedral from the Verger or the Ushers, or will be sent by mail upon request addressed to the Verger (p. 23). In stiff paper covers 50 cents (by mail 60 cents); in purple cloth covers stamped with gold $1.00 (by mail $1.10).
[1] The service on Nov. 24, when the flags of 12 liberated nationalities were carried in the procession, and that on Thanksgiving Day when the flags of 27 allied nations were carried, were two of the most moving religious services ever held in this country. The liberated peoples represented in the former were the Armenian, Albanian, Czecho-Slovak, Jugo-Slav, Greek Irredentist, Italian Irredentist, Lithuanian, Polish, Rumanian, Uhro-Rusin, Ukranian, and Zionist.
[2] The quality of divinity appertaining only to the Deity.
[3] This was a stone tower similar to the one so well preserved in Central Park. The remains of another are at the northern end of Morningside Park.
[5] The pastoral staff was presented to Bishop Manning in 1923 by the Bishop, clergy and laity of the Diocese of London. See reference to the Diocese of London on page 24.
[6] The processional cross, a memorial of the late Walter D. Davidge, Chairman of Ushers, is overlaid with pure gold, and mounted upon a carved mahogany staff. In its center is a large topaz jewel with many facets. It was made by Messrs. J. & R. Lamb.
[7] Mr. Heins was born May 24, 1860, in Philadelphia, Penn., and died September 25, 1907, at Mohegan Lake, N. Y., where there is a church erected in his memory.
[8] Morningside Heights are so named because they front eastward.
[10] This is true in both the natural and the spiritual worlds. The oak grows more slowly than the pine; and the moral achievements which are worth the most and last the longest are the hardest to accomplish.
[11] The figures of the Virgin and the Child suggest the fact that the Chapel of St. Saviour occupies the position usually given to the Lady Chapel in European cathedrals.
[12] The diagonal cross of St. Andrew symbolizes not only the mode of his martyrdom but also humility. The legend is that when condemned to death, he asked to be nailed to a cross of a form different from the Saviour’s, as he was not worthy to die on the same kind.
[13] The usual symbol of St. Bartholomew, the knife with which he was flayed alive, and that of St. Matthew, the money bag, indicating his occupation before he was called, are not apparent.
[14] There is a tradition that St. Luke painted the first portrait of Christ. Pictures of the Madonna attributed to Luke are not uncommon in southern Italy. There is one such in the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul at Citta Vecchia, Malta. See article entitled “Knights and Sights of Malta” in Harper’s Magazine for July, 1923, p. 159.
[15] ΙϹ and ΧϹ are the Greek letters iota sigma and chi sigma, (uncial form,) being the first and last letters in each case of the Greek words for Jesus Christ. The letters ΝΙΚΑ are read together and spell the Greek word which means “conquers.” Mrs. Jenner, in her “Christian Symbolism,” says that this inscription “is stamped upon every altar-bread of the Orthodox Eastern Church, and it occurs on every eikon of our Lord.”
[16] What is here informally called the central aisle is sometimes called by architects the Nave, to distinguish it from the parallel passages called aisles.
[17] These sculptures are surpassingly beautiful. The Supper at Emmaus has a particularly dramatic quality. Note the amazement of the two Disciples as they recognize the Saviour after his crucifixion, their attitudes and facial expressions, and the vein standing out on the neck of the one in the foreground.
[18] The use of the grape-vine to symbolize Christ dates from the very beginning of the Christian era. A silver chalice found in Antioch by Arabs in 1910 and believed to date from the 1st century, is covered with a grape-vine of twelve branches in the midst of which are figures of Christ and the writers of the Gospels and Epistles (See N. Y. Evening Sun of Jan. 3, 1920, and N. Y. Times of May 14, 1922.)
[19] These symbols, supposed to be derived from the Revelation of St. John (iv. 7) and the prophecy of Ezekiel (i. 10), are variously interpreted. One explanation of each follows: The man or cherub is given to St. Matthew because he dwells on the human side of Christ; the lion to St. Mark because he is called the historian of the resurrection, and ancient naturalists believed that the lion was born inanimate and came to life three days after birth; the ox, the emblem of sacrifice, to St. Luke because he dwells on the priesthood of Christ; and the eagle to St. John because he soared in the spirit to heaven and saw God.
[20] These Romanesque features are part of the original design which was subsequently abandoned. There is a plan for changing them to Gothic.
[21] There is much ambiguity in the use by architects of terms to indicate the sub-divisions of the eastern limb of a cathedral which is called comprehensively the Choir. The designations here used—the Choir proper, the Presbytery, and the Sanctuary—are sufficient for present purposes without confusing the reader with conflicting definitions.
[22] For details of intentional departures from absolute levels, and from regularity of height and spacing of arches, see “Temperamental Architecture” in “The New York Architect” for April, 1911.
[23] See Abbott’s “History of King Alfred” for legends concerning the cakes. One is, that Alfred, when a fugitive from the Danes, was hiding one day in a peasant’s cottage, and while sitting by the fire-place mending his bow, he was requested by the house-wife to watch her cakes which were baking. Absorbed in thoughts of his kingdom, he forgot the cakes, and for his neglect was roundly scolded by the woman who little realized his character.
[24] St. Francis, founder of the Franciscan Order, literally interpreted the text “Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark xvi. 15) and a famous fresco by Giotto in the church of San Francesco, at Assisi, represents him preaching to the birds.
[25] “Cathedral Choirs ... have for ages been divided into two portions facing each other and respectively named Decani, or the side of the Dean, ... and Cantoris, or the side of the Cantor” or Precentor.—Hunt’s Concise History of Music.
[26] Brother of Horatio Potter and father of Henry Codman Potter, Bishops of New York.
[28] See page 93 for anecdote of the Dove of Peace connected with this window.
[29] See page 74 following.
[30] The poetic beauty of this window tempts one to re-read Milton’s “Paradise Lost.” The beautiful legend of St. Raphael, the friendly traveller, a favorite subject of art, is to be found in the Book of Tobit, in the Apochrypha.
[31] Uncle of Bishop Henry Codman Potter, seventh Bishop of New York, whose tomb is in the Chapel of St. James.
[32] The symbolism applicable to Bishop Potter’s work is that of the familiar adage, “Great oaks from little acorns grow.”
[33] The congregational singing, always a feature of the Cathedral services, is remarkable on these occasions, especially with the colored congregations, among whom are often heard voices of exceptional quality.
[34] Concerning the ΙϹ-ΧϹ symbol, see page 34. Concerning the Ichthus symbol, see page 116.
[35] These letters ihc and the corresponding capitals ΙΗϹ (iota, eta, sigma,) are the first two and last letters of the Greek word for Jesus. They are frequently associated with the letters ΧΡϹ (chi, rho, sigma,) the first two and last letters of the word for Christ. When converted into the Roman form of ihs or IHS, they are sometimes construed to be the initials of the words Jesus Hominum Salvator (Jesus Saviour of Men).
[36] This rare representation of God the Father in human form is after examples developed during and confined almost entirely to the 14th-16th centuries. The triangular nimbus is peculiarly the symbol of God the Father. Note description of Reredos.
[37] Grisaille, from the French “gris” meaning “gray,” so-called on account of the grizzled or grayish brown glass often employed. Windows in geometrical designs are also called pattern windows. Other examples of grisaille windows are those in St. Columba Chapel.
[38] The designer has taken artistic license with these colors. Strictly, the arms of the City of Rheims are: On a silver field, a green wreath of oak and laurel with red fruit; on a blue chief three fleurs de lis of gold.
[39] Strictly, the arms of the Archbishop of Rheims are: On a blue field sprinkled with golden fleurs de lis, a silver cross over all.
[40] In 1376, Charles V. fixed the number of fleurs de lis in the royal arms at three “to symbolize the Holy Trinity.” Some persons consider that the three leaves of the conventional fleur de lis also symbolize the Trinity.
[41] This representation of the Transfiguration, like that in the reredos of the Chapel of Saint James described on page 71, is after Raphael’s last work, the original of which is in the Vatican. In both cases the poses of the six figures have been adapted to the spaces occupied.
[42] In the following table ac. indicates date of accession to title. Some of the dates here and on page 86 are only approximate.
[43] Only the nimbus of the Deity is ornamented with the cross. In a front view, but three arms of the cross appear; and sometimes these are represented as rays of light. A few writers, including G. J. French and W. & G. Audsley, contend that the three rays on the nimbus of the Deity have no connection with the cross, but symbolize the Trinity. The similarity of the floriated terminals to the French fleur de lis has no special meaning, the real significance being, as stated on page 74 the flowering or productiveness of the Christian religion.
[44] A Bishop’s crozier is usually in the form of a pastoral staff, or ornate shepherd’s crook; an Archbishop’s staff has a cross instead of a crook at the upper end; and a papal staff has a double cross at the upper end.
[45] The founder of a see is usually represented holding the model of a cathedral.
[46] As an illustration of a peace legend connected with a European church may be mentioned that of the Golden Virgin of the basilica of Notre Dame de Brebieres, in Albert, France. In the bombardment of 1914, the figure of the Virgin and Child which surmounted the spire was thrown over and remained suspended at right angles for over three years; during which time the belief sprang up locally that when the Golden Virgin fell, peace would come. The Virgin fell during the bombardment of 1918, and peace ensued a few months later.
[47] Some years ago, when Canon Douglas was visiting Worcester Cathedral, England, Canon Wilson pointed to a spot in the wall where an ancient carved stone had been replaced by a modern stone, and said: “A good while ago a man of the name of Huntington, who introduced himself as Rector of a church in Worcester, Mass., begged me to give him a bit of carved stone as a symbol of the ties between England and America.” This led Canon Douglas to ask for a similar gift to be placed in St. Ansgarius’ Chapel, which is a memorial of Dr. Huntington, in a House of God where Englishmen and Americans often meet and where members of the Daughter Church have constant occasion to recall their indebtedness to the Mother Church of England.
[48] The Corner Stone also contains a Bible, a Prayer Book, a Hymnal, Journals of the Diocesan Conventions 1882-1892, Journals of the General Conventions 1889-1892, Centennial History of the Diocese of New York, several church periodicals, three different almanacs for 1893, Catalogue of the General Theological Seminary and St. Stephen’s College 1892-1893, New York daily papers of December 27, 1892, the form of service for laying the Corner Stone, names of the Cathedral Trustees, several charges and addresses delivered by Bishop Potter on various occasions, letters from the Bishop to the clergy and others concerning the Cathedral, the badge and rules of prayer of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew, medal of the Missionary Society, lists of principal officers of the United States, N. Y. State and N. Y. City governments, and a list of the objects placed in the stone.
[49] For details, see description in the Architectural Record for August, 1914.
[50] Ralph Adams Cram.
[51] Several ideas associated with the fish-shape of the vesica piscis have caused it to be recognized as a symbol of Christ. In an ingenious rebus of a very early date, the five letters of the Greek word for “fish” ἰχθύς, form the initials of the Greek words Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς, Θεοῦ Υἱὸς, Σωτήρ, which mean “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour.”