More Cathedral

These pictures are not as good but since I couldn't return to get better oens I am going to go ahead and post them as well.

The first is the bishops throne. Abby's class learned that a cathedral, as opposed to a church, contains the bishop's seat.


"The Cathedral's choir is one of the finest examples of Romanesque architecture in the United States."

Statue in one of the chapels. People had left money at the feet of this one.

The actual baptismal font is in the center of the room.

One of the tombs. There was a statue of the person on the top.

Remember the center images are of athletes in the Bible and the smaller ones are present day sports. If you click on the picture and enlarge it maybe you can identify some of the images.

These are the windows I liked so much. The one above is the sports window.

Certainly worth visiting if you are ever in the area. I am sorry that I was unable to go back childless and take all the pictures I wanted.

Below is David throwing the stone in his slingshot.

I still can't get any of the videos to load. Sorry. I don't know what is wrong with it.

Stained Glass

Stained glass windows were used to provide light to the rooms and again as pictures to tell the Bible stories to people who could not read.

The large round panes show Bible charasters. The smaller scenes around show modern day people, inventions, and activities. This is the poets window, our favorite was the sports window. Modern day scenes included children sledding, baseball, soccer, riding a bike, skiing, many others. We were told the window had every Olympic sport represented.

This was Serena's favorite part of the chapel. " The magnificant Gothic nave features 14 themed bays honoring professions and human endeavor. Stained glass windows depict thematic scenes with religious and secular images including a 1925 prototype television, a human skeleton, St. George and the Dragon, and Michelangelo carving David. The Acts of the Apostles tapestries hanging in many bays are based on 16thcentruy drawings by Raphael."

"The Poets Corner salutes America's literary greats, whose names are inscribed in stone plaques in the floor. Among the writers honored are Mark Twain, Washington Irving, Edgar Allen Poe, Emily Dickenson, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, and Gertrude Stein."

"The magnificant 40 foot diameter Great Rose window in the West Facade is the largest in the United States. Designed by Charles J. Connick, it contains over 10, 000 pieces of glass. The figure of Christ at its center is 5 feet 7 inches tall."

Abby's stained class art from the craft room.

I couldn't get any of our movies to load. I am posting all of this and will try the videos again tomorrow.

Art

Tapestries were made to provide warmth by insulating the stone walls as well as to be beautiful. Not many people could read during this time so art was a way to teach about the Bible. In the craft shop the children could practise weaving on a loom.

"The Cathedral's treasures include the priceless Barberini Tapestries, Scenes from the Life of Christ. The 12 works were created in the 17th century on the Papal Looms in Rome."

The children could also use tools to see how artists carved the stone. It is limestone which is soft enough to carve.

"The eight massive granite columns that surround the High Alter were quarried on the island of Vanalhaven, Maine. Each is 55 feet tall, 6 feet in diameter, and weighs 130 tons."

Abby made a gargoyle out of clay. Although the cathedral does not have gargoyles they were popular at the top. They were used to drain water off the roof. The water came out the gargoyles mouth, why they always have large wide open mouths. Abby's has a tooth in front. They were made with scary faces to ward off evil spirits.

She made a letter N in fancy writing. The leader said some letters on the page were written really large and fancy then because it was dark and difficult to see. It also made the text look nicer.

The baptistry was the only room with color.

There were tombs throughout the cathedral. I believe the item held peoples ashes. I am not sure and when someone asked, the leader shushed them and said not to alert the children that there were bodies here. (The kids knew. It isnt hard to figure out a tomb and we had recently been to Grant's tomb which looked very similar to those in the cathedral.)

Bee Chapel

There are seven chapels that are used for marriages and other smaller ceremonies. Video of one, this is another. Below is the Bee Chapel named because the saint liked bees. I am sorry but I am not for sure which saint it is. I believe, St Martin. (Others are Sts. James, Ambrose, Saviour, Columba, Boniface, and Ansgar.)

Doors to each chapel were carved metal gates with decorations along the top.

The stained glass in this chapel is designed like a honeycomb.

Floor may have been marble.

Alter area in the bee chapel.

From the guide book, "The Chapels of the Tongues surrounding the High Alter are dedicated to seven immigrant groups that settled in the United States during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Their architectural styles range from Norman to High Renaissance."

Brass Rubbings

We were told that long ago, before cameras, visitors would make rubbings of the artwork in the church. There were these brass decorations on the floor on the aisle. In the craft room the children were able to make their own brass rubbings. Abby's is below as well as the information about the brass artwork she chose.

Art was of a boy, done in 1485 by Roger Drury in Hawstead Suffolk.

Ceiling Arches

Two types of arches are the round at the top as above and the point at the top, called gothic, in this picture. The ceilings were to high to get good pictures of those arches. We learned the Statue of Liberty could stand in the sanctuary and her torch would not touch the ceiling.

As one of the tallest in her class Abby was selected to demonstrate the strength of the arches. She was partnered with a classmate and with their bodies they demonstrated the two types of arches. The tour guide then explained the purpose of buttresses and explained how those help support the arches. She pointed out the arches and buttresses in the sanctuary and then asked the children to point out all of the arches that were seen during the tour.

Cathedral Church of St John the Divine

I highly recommend visiting the website: www.stjohndivine.org. Try as I did I could not capture all the beauty of this building. The website has a wonderful story of this cathedral. I joined Abby's class on a field trip here and then we returned the following week to take pictures. Lilly was cranky and we were all cold so I unfortunately did not get the number or quality of photos I desired. I hope you are able to at least get a glimpse of what we saw.

The first photo is the entrance to the building. The sculpture is located in the nearby garden.

These views were as we were walking back from Central Park. There is an angel on the roof blowing a horn, similar to the statue on the Riverside Church.

This ornate gate led to the garden. Can you identify the animals?

More views of the entrance.



I will divide this into several entries since there are so many pictures and so much information.

Building of the cathedral began in 1892. Construction continues to this day.