A guide to the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in the city of New York: Fifth EditionHall, Edward Hagaman
Religion
A guide to the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in the city of New York: Fifth Edition
Hall, Edward Hagaman
Cathedral of St. John the Divine (New York, N.Y.)
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.
[Illustration: THE NAVE FOUNDATION AND 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:
“Glory be to God on high and on ‖ earth ‖ peace ‖ good will
towards ‖ men. We praise thee ‖ we bless thee, we ‖ worship
‖ thee, we glorify thee, we give thanks ‖ to thee for thy
great glory. O Lord God, heavenly King.”
[Illustration: THE PULPIT]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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