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REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
A Guide to The Cathedral Church of St. John the Dibine in the City of Rem Dork.
THE NORTH ELEVATION OF THE CATHEDRAL (From Architect's Design)
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to thẻ
Strom the Dome
E.H.H. 1919.
Allen County Public Library Ft. Wayne, Indiana
Copyright, 1920, 1921, 1922, by The Laymen's Club of The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, New York, N. Y.
2261108
Introductory Rote
This Guide to the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine purposely departs from the conventional guide book in several respects. The Cathedral of St. John the Divine is not centuries old like those in Europe, but is in the building; and it has seemed appropriate in the first place to express something of its Spirit before describing the details of its Fabric. In the next place, the great majority of visitors to the Cathedral are strangers, people of other denominations, and, on account of its proximity to one of the leading Ameri- can universities, students. For this reason, an effort has been made to avoid technical terms as far as pos- sible; to explain the significance of much symbolism not generally understood; and to insert Bible refer- ences freely for the benefit of those who wish to study further the meaning of the scenes and objects de- scribed. Lest some of the explanations-as, for in- stance, that in regard to the probable date of the com- pletion of the Cathedral-be deemed superfluous, it may be said that this, as well as nearly every other statement in the following pages, is an answer to some question asked among the thousand and one interro- gations which manifest popular interest in the Cathe- dral's growth. In response to more than one request, "some of those little things that one would tell infor- mally in explaining the Cathedral to a friend" have been included. Among these are the incident of the blind woman who "saw" the Cathedral, which pos-
5
sesses a touching human interest; and the story of the Dove of Peace, in which may be seen the beginning of the traditional lore that will grow up around the Cathe- dral as the years roll on.
For their valuable cooperation in the preparation of the Guide, grateful acknowledgment is made to the Very Rev. Howard C. Robbins, D.D., Dean of the Cathedral, and to the Rev. George F. Nelson, D.D., and the Rev. Robert Ellis Jones, D.D., Canons. Many thanks for courtesies and accommodations in photo- graphing and studying the Cathedral are also due to Mr. Thomas Meatyard, the Verger.
The Cathedral Flag (See Page 57)
6
Contents
I. THE SPIRIT OF THE CATHEDRAL.
The Real Cathedral.
....
.
11
The Spirit of Democracy 14
Praise in its Greatness ..
12
A Civic Institution.
15
Praise in its Beauty
12
A Great Symbol.
16
Praise in its Service. .
13
A Sign of Stability
16
II. THE FABRIC OF THE CATHEDRAL.
Name and Namesake .... 19
Lectern
54
Location and Access ..... 20
Choir Stalls
54
Administration and Clergy. 22
Organ
57
Seals
23
Cathedral Flag
57
Services
25
High Altar
58
Visitors
26
Credence Table
60
Architecture
26
Great Columns
61
Plan and Size.
27
Clerestory Windows
61
Progress of Construction 28
Ambulatory
68
Funds for Building.
29
Founder's Tomb
70
Foundation and Structure 31
Choir Boys' Stone.
71
Exterior of Chapels.
31
Seven Chapels of Tongues 71
Clerestory of Choir
33
Chapel of St. James 72
Stone Shields
33
Chapel of St. Ambrose
77
West Front
34
Chapel of St. Martin 79
Nave
36
Chapel of St. Saviour 83
Crossing
40
Chapel of St. Columba .. 86
Pulpit
42
Chapel of St. Boniface .. 89
Tapestries 46 Chapel of St. Ansgarius . 94 Corner Stone 98
Litany Desk
46
Choir
48
Crypt
99
Choir Parapet
49
Summary of Dimensions. 99
Pavements
52
Bishops of New York .... 100
III. OTHER BUILDINGS, ETC.
Bishop's House 103
Synod House
108
Deanery 103
Open Air Pulpit.
112
Choir School
104
Cathedral Organizations. 113
St. Faith's House
108
Guide Book
114
S
DRIVE
MORNINGSIDE
C
16
17
15
18
12
14
B
.19
13
·
10
12
x:
4
3
5
113 TH
.
WEST
1
AMSTERDAM
AVENUE
113
112
0
50
100
150
200
111
SCALE OF FEET
8
A
STREET
6
7 12
2
PARKWAY
D
CATHEDRAL
E
110
EHH 1921
PLAN
1. West Front, not begun
2. Nave, foundation laid
3. Crossing
4. North Transept, not begun
5. South Transept, not begun
6. Altar Sacristy, not begun
7. Baptistery, tentative
8. Choir Sacristy, not begun Dotted lines indicate cloisters connect- ing with Choir School
9. Dean's Office, with Canons' Offices ad- joining, not begun
10. Choir
11. Sanctuary
12. Ambulatory
Seren Chapels of Tongues
13. Chapel of St. James
14. Chapel of St. Ambrose
15. Chapel of St. Martin of Tours
16. Chapel of St. Saviour
17. Chapel of St. Columba
18. Chapel of St. Boniface
19. Chapel of St. Ansgarius
A. Bishop's House
B. Deanery
C. Choir School
D. St. Faith's House
E. New Synod House
F. Open Air Pulpit
The Old Synod House (formerly the Leake & Watts Orphan Asylum) stands on the site of the South Transept (5) and is not represented on this plan.
9
Mustrations
Cathedral from northeast, complete exterior design, from
architect's drawing . Frontispiece
Flag of the Cathedral. 6
Plan of the Cathedral and Close .8-9
East end of Cathedral (exterior)'. 18
Seal of the Diocese. 24
Seal of the Cathedral. 24
IC-XC-NI-KA symbol "Jesus Christ Conquers" 34
SP-SF-SS symbol, "Holy Father, Holy Son, Holy Spirit" 34
West Front, from architect's drawing. 35
Nave (exterior), from composite photograph of model .. 37 Nave (interior), from composite photograph of model. 39
Nave foundation and Crossing (exterior)
41
Pulpit (indoors)
43
Barberini tapestry, "The Last Supper"
45
Crossing and Choir (interior)
47
Choir Parapet, South Half
51
Choir Parapet. North Half 53
Choir stalls, south side. 55
High Altar 59
Credence Table with Magna Charta Stones 60
The Founder's Tomb.
69
Chapel of St. James (interior )
73
Coats of Arms in windows of Chapel of St. Martin :
City of Rheims. 82
Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris
82
Archbishop of Tours 82
Chapter of Poitiers.
82
St. Martin of Tours.
82
Archdiocese of Rheims
82
Dukes of Orleans 95
Niche of England Cathedral Stones
Bishop's House .102
Deanery 105
Choir School 107
Synod House
109
Choir Boys' Stone
82
115
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Part One The Spirit of the Cathedral
The Real Cathedral
On Morningside Heights, in the City of New York, on ground consecrated by the blood of our forefathers in the War for Independence, stands a trinity of insti- tutions which represent with singular completeness the three-fold nature of man: Columbia University, which ministers to the Mind; St. Luke's Hospital, which ministers to the Body; and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, which ministers to the Soul.
This little book is designed to assist visitors to understand the meaning and purpose of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Some such aid, either written or oral, is needed, for a great cathedral cannot be com- prehended in the glance of an eye. Certain features, such as its magnitude and general beauty, are obvious ; but inwrought with these is a wealth of meaning which is the soul of the Cathedral-the real Cathedral-and which reveals itself only on intimate acquaintance. When Ruskin called Amiens Cathedral "The Bible of Amiens," he used a figure of speech applicable to all cathedrals. The Cathedral of St. John the Divine is "The Word in stone." It is a sacred book, written in massive pier and ponderous arch, in sculptured marble and carved oak, in stained glass window and inlaid mosaic, in embroidered fabric and woven tap- estry, whose pages are full of delight, inspiration and help for those who will take the trouble to read them.
11
The Cathedral performs its function as a place for the praise and worship of Almighty God in two ways-statically in the grandeur and beauty of the temple, and actively in the services held within it.
Praise in its Greatness
Like other great cathedrals, St. John the Divine first impresses by its size. Its magnitude is not only becoming to its rank as the chief church of the great Diocese of New York and necessary for the accom- modation of large congregations, but it also has a spiritual purpose, for it gives one the feeling of some- thing bigger than one's self and of a Power greater than one's own. "The Cathedral gives me a feeling of humility," said a man to Bishop Greer one day. "When I go in," said a college girl to him, "I forget myself." And a man whom the Bishop met in the Ambulatory said to him: "If I came here regularly, something about it,-its size, its spaciousness, its lofti- ness, its great receding Choir-something about it would compel me to be a churchman."
Praise in its Beauty
The Cathedral is designed also to praise God in the glory of its Beauty. Ruskin, in "The Laws of Fesole," says that "all great art is praise." Here we have the three great and enduring arts of Architec- ture, Sculpture and Painting (the latter as yet only in stained glass,) combined in a wonderful Te Deum of Beauty. For centuries the great cathedrals of the world have been the caskets of certain kinds of art- or, rather, of certain kinds of expression of art-not elsewhere to be found; and in this respect the Cathe- dral of St. John the Divine fills a place in our Ameri- can life which no secular building can fill. In the beauty of its general form, in the beauty of its detail, in the beauty of its symbolism, and in the record of
12
human achievement in godly living which these express, the Cathedral stirs the most reverent emo- tions and creates the noblest aspirations.
Praise in its Service
But these silent though eloquent physical features are only adjuncts and helps to the active expression of praise in the Cathedral Service. In this, the impres- sive rites of the church and the congregational partici- pation are aided by music brought to a high degree of perfection, and the preaching from the pulpit aims to interpret the Christian religion in terms of the practical every-day life of to-day.
In short, the Cathedral endeavors to employ all that is beautiful and majestic in Art and Service to bring God closer to men and to draw men closer to God.
Those who live near enough to the Cathedral to be able to attend its services frequently can appreciate the words of a man who lived most of his life in one of the great cathedral towns of England, and who said :
"I account it one of the greatest blessings of my life, and a circumstance which gave a tone to my imagination which I would not resign for many earthly gifts, that I lived in a place where the cathedral ser- vice was duly and beautifully performed. If the object of devotion be to make us feel, and to carry away the soul from all earthly thoughts, assuredly the grand chaunts of our cathedral service are not without their use. I admire-none can admire more- the abstract idea of an assembly of reasoning beings offering up to the Author of all good things their thanksgivings in a pure and intelligible form of words ; but the question will always intrude, Does the heart
13
go along with this lip service? and is the mind suf- ficiently excited by this reasonable worship to forget its accustomed associations with the business and van- ities and passions of the world? The cathedral ser- vice does affect the imagination and through that channel the heart."
The Spirit of Democracy
While the Cathedral of St. John the Divine is a Protestant Episcopal Cathedral, its ministrations are not restricted. "Our democratic age," said Bishop Henry C. Potter, "demands a place of worship that will not disregard the teachings of the Founder of Christianity. In this Cathedral there will be no pews, no locked doors, no pre-payment for sittings, no reserved rights of caste or rank, but one and the same welcome for all." And what Bishop Potter prophe- sied when the Cathedral was first planned is literally true to-day. The charter of the Cathedral requires that "the seats for worshippers in said Cathedral Church shall always be free;" and the Cathedral wel- comes everybody to its services, irrespective of denom- inational affiliations, nationality or worldly estate. The Cathedral also welcomes those who belong to no denomination. Its appeal to the latter was particu- larly contemplated when Bishop Potter said: "The person in the period of suspense as to certain funda- mental beliefs needs something larger, higher, wider and roomier, more impersonal for the time being, than the parish church." It is hardly necessary to add as a corollary of the foregoing that there are no "stran- gers' pews" in the Cathedral; and nobody, however unaccustomed to the Cathedral service, needs to feel any timidity or hesitation about attending. The large proportion of men in the Cathedral congregations is particularly noticeable.
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A Civic Institution
In its present state of incompletion, without Nave and Transepts, the capacity of the Cathedral is taxed to the utmost by its ordinary congregations, and on special occasions thousands are turned away unable to enter. The completion of the Cathedral is therefore imperative; and this is so for more than denomina- tional reasons, for the many notable special services held during and immediately following the late war already foreshadow the position which it is destined to occupy as a great Civic and National Institution. The Board of Trustees recently said : "The city requires a religious edifice where people can gather together in large numbers to express in a corporate way their religious promptings and to find spiritual interpretation of great events." Such were the gath- erings,-to mention but a few instances,-on the occa- sion of the Kossovo Day service June 16, 1918; the thanksgiving for the withdrawal of Austria from the war November 10, 1918; the thanksgiving for the cessation of hostilities November 17; the thanksgiving of the twelve Liberated Nationalities of middle Europe November 24; the great Thanksgiving Day service for victory November 28 ;* the rendering of Gounod's "Death and Life" December 1, 1918, and Dvorak's "Requiem" March 30, 1919, for all who died in the war; the memorial service of the 107th (including the former 7th) regiment April 27, 1919; the Lusitania memorial service May 7; the New York Letter Car- riers' memorial service May 25; etc. People rarely think of the English cathedrals as belonging to the
* The service on Nov. 24, when the flags of 12 liberated nation- alities 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.
15
Church of England or of the French cathedrals as belonging to the Roman Catholic church. They are regarded as belonging to everybody. And such, it is believed, is the place which the Cathedral of St. John the Divine will occupy in the minds of the people of the city and nation.
A Great Symbol
The symbolism of various details of the Cathedral will be mentioned hereafter ; but it should be said here that the Cathedral as a whole is a great and wonderful symbol. "The religion which is inwrought with all the history of the American people," said Bishop Potter, "stands for certain lofty ideals of truth, purity, honesty, loyalty and self-sacrifice. Every ideal must have some visible expression or symbol, and this ideal of our religious faith from the very nature of it demands expression, incarnation, visible and material utterance worthy of its majesty and grandeur." And the Trustees not long ago said: "New York is the chief city of the Western World. It impresses the imagination at every turn by visible evidence of the power and splendor of material achievements in American life. Such a city should be dominated by a building which, in its greatness, dignity and beauty, bears witness to those spiritual forces without which material achievement is valueless because soulless."
A Sign of Stability
This ever-changing city also needs the Cathedral as an evidence of stability. Business structures and apartment houses rise and disappear in a generation under the exigencies of the city's growth. Even parish churches give way under this seemingly irresistible pressure. There is consequently little upon which to fasten permanently one's memories, affections and his- torical traditions. Amid the changes and uncertain-
16
ties of human life, man instinctively looks to the Church for something of permanence-something after all to which he can fasten his faith and upon which he can anchor his hopes. The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, resting in its massive solidity upon the ancient rocks of Morningside Heights, gives an idea of firmness and stability in contrast with the fleeting changes around it and symbolizes Eternity as nearly as anything erected by the hands of man can. It will stand for unmeasured time as an eloquent memorial of the best and noblest of human effort and will serve as a visible bond to bind together genera- tions of high endeavor. "A cathedral," said Dean Robbins in a sermon on December 17, 1916, "is a symbol of continuity of life through the ages. It is a reminder of the relatedness in which men stand not only to one another but also to those who have pre- ceded them, to all that is still memorable in a not quite vanished past." And looking to the future he spoke of the meaning of the Cathedral to coming gen- erations when it should have become adorned with associations growing like ivy over walls made vener- able by time. "Perhaps they will be greater memo- ries, more glorious associations, than our best hopes can now forecast. Who can tell what the hidden, wonderful, all-possible future may have in store for our Cathedral, what hopes and purposes and sorrows and rejoicings will receive their consecration within its slowly aging walls?"
17
THE EXTERIOR OF THE CHOIR, CHAPELS AND CROSSING, LOOKING SOUTHWEST (Choir School at left)
Part Two The Fabric of the Cathedral
Rame and Ramesake
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 Cathe- dral is the cathedra of the Bishop of the Diocese of New York. It is not a parish church and has no mem- bers in the sense in which a parish church has mem- bers; but persons desiring to assist in cathedral work may join the auxiliary organizations mentioned on page 113 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* 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 Apos- tles, and a brother of St. James the Great. He was "the Disciple whom Jesus loved" (John xiii. 23), an expression implying exceptional sweetness and lova-
" The quality of divinity appertaining only to the Deity.
19
bleness 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 hav- ing 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 park- way (110th street,) Amsterdam avenue, 113th street, and Morningside drive.
The Cathedral can be reached by taking the Broad- way 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 Amster- dam 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 com-
20
mands 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 Har- lem 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 Pali- sades 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 50) and adorns the en- trance to the Synod House (p. 112), 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 block- houses of which stood on the bluff on the eastern side of Morningside drive just northeast of 113th st .*
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 111/2 acres. Upon them are sit- uated, 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.
* 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.
21
Administration and Clergy
The affairs of the Cathedral are in the hands of a Board of 25 Trustees which constitutes the Cor- poration, 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 dio- cesan 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 Cathe- dral 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 Treas- urer 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 per- formance of the musical parts of the Cathedral serv- ices. . The offices of Canon Sacrist and Canon Pre- centor are vacant, their duties being performed by the Precentor. The Dean and Canons may have Vicars as assistants.
Following is the Cathedral Staff :
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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.
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