is a very pure specimen of English Gothic _Architecture_ of the 14th
century. It is about 48½ feet long and 28 wide, seats about 100 persons,
and cost about $175,000. The interior walls are of Indiana limestone;
the pavement of pink marble from Knoxville, Tenn., with heavy black
border of Belgian marble; and the steps to the Sanctuary also of pink
Knoxville marble. The _Altar_ is of gray marble from the same source. In
the three ornate panels on its face are the monogram IHS (see p. 74),
the floriated Greek cross (see note below), and the Greek cross form
of the Chi Rho (p. 74). The richly carved _Reredos_ has three canopied
niches, in the central one of which is represented the Adoration of the
Magi. In each of the side niches is an angel with scroll. In the recesses
of the windows on either side of the Altar are carved clergy stalls of
dark oak, with wainscoting of the same wood as high as the window sills.
There are six stained glass _Windows_, three in the Sanctuary and three
smaller ones in the clerestory. Each has three lights. In the middle
light of the central window above the Altar Christ is represented as
the Great Teacher. His robe is sprinkled with the =IHS= monogram (p.
74) and in His nimbus appear the ends of a floriated cross.[43] Above
His head are two angels, and above them the dove, symbolizing the Holy
Spirit. Below the figure of Christ is a scene representing Him teaching
the multitude. In the left side light is St. Boniface with mitre,
archiepiscopal staff,[44] and Bible pierced with sword; and below him a
scene representing him hewing down an oak in Geismar accounted sacred
by the idolators. In the right side light is St. Paul with sword; and
below him a scene representing him preaching to the men of Athens. In
the left window of the Sanctuary are three figures with scenes below
as follows (left to right): St. Birinus, Bishop of Dorchester, holding
a monstrance, and (below) St. Birinus baptizing King Cynegils of the
West Saxons; St. Augustine of Canterbury with archiepiscopal staff,
holding a tablet representing the crucifixion, and (below) St. Augustine
announcing the Word of Life to King Ethelbert; and St. Felix, Bishop of
Dunwich, with crozier and torch, and (below) St. Felix receiving the
blessing of the Archbishop of Canterbury. In the right Sanctuary window,
similarly, are: St. Chad, Bishop of Lichfield, holding crozier and model
of Lichfield Cathedral,[45] and (below) St. Chad listening to the songs
of angels; St. Columba in monastic garb with crozier and with monastery
(Iona) at his feet, and (below) St. Columba converting the Picts; and
St. Aidan with crozier, and (below) St. Aidan instructing the youthful
St. Chad and others. In the west clerestory window are: St. Patrick
with crozier ornamented with shamrocks; St. Gregory of Rome with papal
staff, holding an open music book displaying the Sursum Corda (referring
to him as founder of the Gregorian music), with Pere Marquette below;
and St. Martin of Tours with crozier and Bible. In the east wall are
two clerestory windows. In the left hand window of the two are: St.
Cyprian, Archbishop of Carthage, holding his staff and his best known
book concerning Church Unity, or the universal church; St. Ambrose,
Bishop of Milan, with crozier and open book displaying the words “Te Deum
Laudamus” (we praise Thee, O God,) and pen in hand, with the missionary
Robert Hunt below; and St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo Mundia, with
crozier. In the right hand clerestory window in the east wall are: St.
Cyril, Patriarch of Alexandria, with book and staff; St. John Chrysostom,
Bishop of Constantinople, with staff, chalice and Book of Homilies,
with the missionary John Robinson below; and St. Ignatius, Bishop of
Antioch, holding a palm. The windows were made by Messrs. C. E. Kempe &
Co. of London. In two canopied niches in the west wall are _Statues_ of
Thomas a Becket (left) and St. Boniface (right); and in a niche in the
east wall is one of Erasmus. Three wrought iron _Lamps_ are suspended by
iron chains from the ceiling; and at the entrance is a handsome wrought
iron _Screen_ adorned with escutcheons bearing the =ihc= monogram and
surmounted by a floriated cross before explained. On one of the walls is
inscribed:
“The Chapel of St. Boniface ‖ Consecrated ‖ February 29, 1916
‖ Erected to ‖ the Glory of God ‖ by ‖ George Sullivan
Bowdoin ‖ and His Wife ‖ Julia Grinnell Bowdoin ‖ and Their
Children ‖ Temple Bowdoin ‖ Fanny Hamilton Kingsford ‖ Edith
Grinnell Bowdoin.”
=Story of the Dove Of Peace=. During the last year of the World War, an
incident interesting in itself and illustrative of the origin of the
legends and traditions which often grow up around cathedrals, occurred in
connection with the chapel bearing the name of the Apostle of Germany.
In the spring of 1918, some weeks after the great German drive of March
21 had begun and before the beginning of the counter-offensive of the
second battle of the Marne in July, the large stained glass window in the
clerestory of the Choir above the entrance to the Chapel of St. Boniface
arrived from England. All the ventilation openings in the Cathedral
windows are screened to exclude birds, which, however interesting in
their natural habitats, are a practical nuisance in the Cathedral. When
the stained glass window above mentioned arrived, the temporary window
filling the space above the entrance to the chapel was removed for its
installation. While the window was thus open, and at a period in the war
when the issue trembled in the balance and the world fairly held its
breath in fearful expectation of the event, a white dove,—very generally
recognized as a symbol or harbinger of Peace—flew into the Cathedral
over this chapel. On the following Sunday it soared around in the great
dome of the Crossing and in the Choir, alighting in the most interesting
places. When Dean Robbins ascended the stairs of the great marble pulpit,
he found the dove perched on the edge of the pulpit directly before
him. The dove then flew down and alighted on the back of a vacant chair
between two occupied chairs in the midst of the congregation on the south
side of the Crossing, and there remained quietly during the sermon. When
the ushers started toward the Altar with the offertory, the bird soared
across the congregation and alighted on the hat of a woman dressed in
mourning who was sitting near the middle aisle, its snow white plumage
contrasting strikingly with the sombre attire of the bereaved woman who
seemed not to be disturbed by what perhaps she regarded as a happy omen.
In a moment the dove flew to another part of the Crossing. It remained
in the Cathedral a few days longer; and then one day, went out through
an open door. Soon after this occurrence, the Allies facing the Marne
salient, including the Americans at Chateau Thierry, began the great
counter-movement which finally brought peace.[46] It was at least an
interesting coincidence that this white dove came into the Cathedral over
this chapel, at the very crisis of the war, and that almost immediately
thereafter began that series of determining events which led the Germans
to make overtures for Peace.
The Chapel of St. Ansgarius
ST. ANSGARIUS, or St. Ansgar, was born in Picardy in 801. With his
co-laborer Autbert he went to preach Christianity to the northmen of
Sleswick. In spite of much persecution, he was so successful that in 831
the Pope established an archbishopric in Hamburg, (afterwards transferred
to Bremen,) and Ansgarius was appointed first Archbishop. He made several
missionary tours in Denmark, Sweden and other parts of the north, and
died at Bremen in 865. He is called the Apostle of the North. The
Memorial Day for St. Ansgarius is kept on February 3.
The Chapel of St. Ansgarius (19 on plan), designed by Mr. Henry
Vaughan, architect of the Chapel of St. James, is in the same style of
_Architecture_, 14th century Gothic, and about the same size, being
66 feet long and 41 wide, with a seating capacity of 250. It differs,
however, from the Chapel of St. James in plan, the bay east of the turret
stairs being here thrown into the Ambulatory, while in the Chapel of St.
James it is included as a sort of transept; and the north side of the
Chapel of St. Ansgarius being divided into only two bays, while the south
side of the Chapel of St. James is divided into three. On account of the
amount of work required to secure a firm foundation, the Chapel of St.
Ansgarius cost about $225,000, making it the most expensive of the seven
Chapels of Tongues.
[Illustration: Niche in St. Ansgarius Chapel made of old Cathedral
Stones]
The interior walls are of Indiana limestone; and the pavement of pink
Knoxville, Tenn., marble and mottled Vermont marble. The _Altar_ is of
gray Knoxville marble. On its front is carved the Madonna of the Chair
on the left of which, from the spectator’s standpoint, is St. Michael
with sword and on the right St. Gabriel with lilies. In the middle of the
sculptured _Reredos_, (above) is represented Christ holding the globe
(symbol of sovereignty), and (below) the baptism of Christ by John the
Baptist.
On the left of the figures are St. Ansgarius with crozier (above) and
Gustavus Adolphus with sword (below), while on the right are St. Olaf
with crown and scepter (above) and Luther in gown with book (below).
The Altar and Reredos were given by Mrs. Julia Grinnell Bowdoin. In the
left (northern) wall of the Sanctuary is a niche made of _stones from
Worcester and Ely Cathedrals_, England. On the upper surface of the stone
bracket forming the shelf of the niche is carved “Ely 1320.” The stones
from the Lady Chapel of Worcester Cathedral were given to the Cathedral
of St. John the Divine by Canon George William Douglas of New York who
procured them from Canon J. M. Wilson, Archdeacon of Worcester.[47] On
the stones on either side of the recess is carved:
“These Stones from ‖ the Cathedral ‖ of Christ and ‖ St.
Mary the Virgin ‖ Worcester, England, ‖ are Memorials to ‖
William Reed ‖ Huntington ‖ Sometime Rector ‖ of All Saints
‖ in Worcester ‖ Massachusetts.”
Three small _Windows_ of two lights each in the Sanctuary contain
(from left to right) representations of: (1) St. Willibrod with mitre,
archiepiscopal staff, and model of cathedral; and St. Lucian with crown,
scepter and sword; (2) St. Ansgarius with mitre and crozier; and King
Olaf with crown and scepter; and (3) above the Reredos, St. Eric with
crown and scepter; and St. Wilifred with mitre and archiepiscopal staff.
The window spaces at the right of the latter are walled up because they
are blanketed by the adjacent chapel. In the two bays of the north aisle
are two noble stained glass windows, each having five lights and each
light depicting two scenes. In the left hand or western window, the upper
tier of scenes is chiefly devoted to Old Testament subjects as follows
(left to right): Adam and Eve (Gen. ii. 7-25); the visit of the three
angels to Abraham bearing the promise of the birth of Isaac (Gen. xviii.
2-22); St. Michael fighting the dragon with a cross-shaped spear (Rev.
xii. 7); Abraham offering to sacrifice Isaac (Gen. xxii. 9-13); and
Jacob’s dream of the ladder (Gen. xxviii. 12). In the lower tier are five
scenes prophetic of the birth of the Forerunner of Christ and of Christ
himself: The angel’s visit to Zacharias to foretell the birth of John the
Baptist (Luke i. 13); the annunciation to the Virgin Mary of the coming
birth of Christ (Luke i. 28); St. Gabriel with lilies as Angel of the
Annunciation (Luke i. 28); the angels’ visit to the shepherds (Luke ii.
8-12); and the angel’s visit to Joseph, husband of Mary, to foretell the
birth of Christ (Mat. i. 20). The right hand or eastern window depicts
Acts of the Apostles. In its upper tier are: St. Peter preaching to the
Disciples (Acts i. 15); St. Peter healing the lame man (Acts iii. 2-8);
St. Peter with key; the stoning of St. Stephen (Acts vii. 59); and St.
Philip baptizing the eunuch (Acts viii. 26-38); and in the lower tier:
St. Peter raising Tabitha (Acts ix. 40); the conversion of St. Paul’s
jailer at Philippi (Acts xvi. 23-31); St. Paul with sword; St. Paul
laying hands on the Disciples (Acts xix. 6); and St. Paul before Felix
(Acts xxiv. 24-25). All the windows are by Messrs. C. E. Kempe & Co. of
London. In two high niches in the south wall are _Statues_ of Eric, King
of Sweden (left) and Canute, King of the English, Danes and Norwegians
(right;) and in a niche at the west end of the north aisle is a statue
of King Eskiel, all crowned. On the Ambulatory side of the entrance
bay are two statues: John the Baptist (above) and St. Ansgarius with
crozier and mitre, holding a small cathedral (below). The sculptures are
by Mr. John Evans of Boston. In a bay of the chapel temporarily rests
a symbolic group executed in Caen stone by Miss Malvina Hoffman of New
York, entitled _The Sacrifice_. It is intended for Harvard University
at Cambridge, Mass., as a memorial of Robert Bacon, sometime U. S.
Ambassador to France and a Trustee of the University, and of the Harvard
men who lost their lives in the World War. It represents a dead Crusader,
such as those who went from Cambridge, Eng., in the 12th century, and
gave their lives for an ideal, lying upon a cross with his head pillowed
in a woman’s lap. According to the traditional position of the feet of
the Crusader, he was one of those who never reached Jerusalem, those
who did so being traditionally represented with their feet crossed. The
woman may typify Alma Mater as well as those women who gave their best to
a great cause and made their lonely grief their glory. The two figures
symbolize mutual sacrifice. This chapel has an independent _Organ_ played
from a movable console on the floor. The chapel, which is the gift of
many persons, was dedicated on April 3, 1918. On one of the walls is
inscribed:
[Illustration: THE SACRIFICE]
“The Chapel of Saint Ansgarius ‖ Consecrated April 3, 1918 ‖
to the Worship of ‖ Almighty God ‖ and in Loving Memory of ‖
William Reed Huntington ‖ for 25 Years Rector of Grace Church
‖ and for 22 Years Trustee of this Cathedral.”
=The Corner Stone= of the Cathedral, which was laid by Bishop Henry
C. Potter on St. John’s Day, December 27, 1892, is imbedded in the
northwestern pier of the Chapel of St. Ansgarius and is only partly
visible in the chamber under the chapel. It is a block of gray Quincy
granite, 4 feet 4 inches square and 2 feet 4½ inches thick. Upon the
angle of the visible corner are inscribed a Greek cross and “I. H. S. St.
John’s Day, Decem. XXVII, A. D. 1892.” It contains, among other things,
a fragment of a _Spanish Brick_ from Hispaniola (Hayti) which was given
to the Cathedral by Mr. Malcolm McLean, Senior Warden of St. Andrew’s
Church, New York City, and upon which is a silver plate inscribed:
“From the Ruin of the First Christian Church in the New World
where the First Church was Erected by Christopher Columbus,
1493. Isabella, Hispaniola.”[48]
The Crypt
The Crypt, located beneath the Choir, is closed, pending work on other
parts of the Cathedral. And on account of the consequent dampness, the
delicate furnishings were removed in September, 1916, and entrusted to
the care of Mr. Louis C. Tiffany, who designed them, and who has placed
them temporarily in the private chapel on his large country estate at
Laurelton, L. I. The Crypt has a seating capacity of 500, and the first
services in the Cathedral were held in it from January 8, 1899, until
the Choir and Crossing were opened on April 19, 1911. In its furnished
state, it contains an Altar, Reredos, font, lectern, and five stained
glass windows which were exhibited by Mr. Tiffany at the World’s Fair at
Chicago in 1893 and which were called collectively the _Tiffany Chapel_.
The top and retable of the _Altar_ are of Carrara marble, while the front
and sides are adorned with medallions of mother of pearl, four smaller
discs containing emblems of the four Evangelists, a central shield set
with sapphires, topazes and mother of pearl, and 150,000 pieces of glass
mosaic. The _Reredos_ is of iridescent glass mosaic, as are the twelve
_Pillars_ back of the Altar symbolizing the twelve Apostles. The general
effect is Byzantine. The Altar, Reredos, font, lectern and windows were
given by Mrs. Celia Hermione Wallace in memory of her son. The following
interments have been made in the Crypt: The Very Rev. William M.
Grosvenor, D.D., Dean of the Cathedral, December 13, 1916; the Right Rev.
David H. Greer, D.D., eighth Bishop of New York, May 23, 1919; and the
Right Rev. Charles S. Burch, D.D., ninth Bishop of New York, December 23,
1920.
Summary Dimensions
Following are the principal dimensions of the Cathedral. As cathedrals
are compared in size by their areas, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine
will rank, after St. Peter’s at Rome and Seville Cathedral, the third
largest in the world.
_Length_
Western Towers 50 feet
Nave 225 ”
Crossing 100 ”
Choir 170 ”
St. Saviour’s Chapel 56 ”
Total length 601 ”
_Width_
West Front (including buttresses) 220 feet
Nave and Aisles (exterior) 132 ”
Transepts 315 ”
Crossing 100 ”
Choir 56 ”
Ambulatory 20 ”
_Height_
Western Towers 265 feet
Ridge of Nave Roof 175 ”
Nave Vaults (above floor) 130 ”
Choir Vaults (above floor) 127 ”
Crossing Vault (above floor) 200 ”
Central Fleche 470 ”
Final Cross (30 feet) 500 ”
Final Cross above tide-water 631 ”
_Area_
Area of Cathedral 109,082 square feet
Bishops of New York
Following is a list of the Bishops of New York since the erection of the
Diocese:
_First_: The Right Rev. Samuel Provoost, D.D.; born February 24, 1742;
Bishop of New York 1787-1815; died September 6, 1815.
_Second_: The Right Rev. Benjamin Moore; born November 5, 1748; Assistant
Bishop 1801-1815; Bishop of New York 1815-1816; died February 29, 1816.
_Third_: The Right Rev. John Henry Hobart, D.D.; born September 14, 1775;
Assistant Bishop 1811-1816; Bishop of New York 1816-1830; died September
12, 1830.
_Fourth_: The Right Rev. Benjamin Tredwell Onderdonk; born July 15, 1791;
Bishop of New York, active 1830-1845, inactive 1845-1861; died April 30,
1861.
_Fifth_: The Right Rev. Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright, D.D., D.C.L.; born
February 24, 1792; Provisional Bishop 1852-1854; died September 21, 1854.
_Sixth_: The Right Rev. Horatio Potter, D.D., D.C.L., Oxon.; born
February 9, 1802; Provisional Bishop 1854-1861; Bishop of New York
1861-1887; died January 2, 1887.
_Seventh_: The Right Rev. Henry Codman Potter, D.D., LL.D.; born May 25,
1834; Assistant Bishop 1883-1887; Bishop of New York 1887-1908; died July
21, 1908.
_Eighth_: The Right Rev. David Hummell Greer, D.D., S.T.D., LL.D.; born
March 20, 1844; Bishop Coadjutor 1904-1908; Bishop of New York 1908-1919;
died May 19, 1919.
_Ninth_: The Right Rev. Charles Sumner Burch, D.D., L.H.D., LL.D.; born
June 30, 1855; Bishop Suffragan 1911-1919; Bishop of New York 1919-1920;
died December 20, 1920.
_Tenth_: The Right Rev. William Thomas Manning, D.D., LL.D., D.C.L.; born
May 12, 1866; Bishop of New York 1921.
Part Three
Other Buildings, Etc.
The Bishop’s House
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
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.”
[Illustration: THE BISHOP’S HOUSE]
The Choir School
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.
[Illustration: THE DEANERY]
[Illustration: 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
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