The Cathedral of the Incarnation, at Garden City, N. Y., the memorial
of Mrs. Cornelia M. Stewart to her husband, Alexander T. Stewart, was
opened April 9, 1885, by impressive religious ceremonies. At precisely
11 o'clock the chimes in the cathedral tower rang out a clear and
resonant peal, and the people thronged into the building through its
tower and transept entrances.
The effort has been made to reproduce in the cathedral a pure type of
the Gothic architecture of the thirteenth century, without its ruder
and less refined characteristics. The strained and coarse images
designed to illustrate "the world, the flesh, and the devil,"
which seem so strange and unapt to American visitors to the
great Continental cathedrals, are almost entirely omitted in this
reproduction. The carving, too, in deference to the more sensitive
tastes and better skill of this age, is far more artistic and natural
than in the old originals. Flowers in stone are made to resemble
flowers, and heads are fashioned after a human pattern, and clusters
of figures are modeled in a congruous and modern manner. But aside
from changes of this kind, the new and magnificent edifice upon
Hempstead Plains is a perfect example of the elaborate and picturesque
Gothic structures of mediæval days.
It is built of brown sandstone raised in colossal blocks. The spire,
floriated richly and graduated with a precise symmetry, rises to an
extreme altitude of 220 feet 6 inches. The extreme length is about 170
ft. The massive oaken front doors are carved handsomely, and contain
the arms of the Stewart family, the Clinch family (Mrs. Stewart's
maiden name), the Hilton family, and those of Bishop Littlejohn,
the Episcopal head of the Long Island Diocese. The porch or tower
entrance, which is the main entrance to the building, is paved with
white marble. In the center of the floor the Stewart arms are enameled
in brass, showing a shield with a white and blue check, supported
by the figures of a wild Briton and a lion. The crest is a pelican
feeding its young, and the motto is "_Prudentia et Constantia_."
These heraldic figures are made a special feature of the main aisle.
Directly in the center of the auditorium floor the Stewart and Clinch
arms are impaled, enameled in brass. On the floor in the choir the
Hilton arms are placed. They bear the patriotic motto "_Ubi libertas
ibi patria_," with a deer for a crest. The floor of the ante-chancel
presents the arms of the diocese. Its insular character is especially
prominent. The shield of barry wavy contains three crosslets, the
peculiar sign of the cathedral. It is supported by dolphins. The crest
is a ship, and under all is the sacred motto, "I will set his dominion
in the sea." The workmanship of all these arms is superb.
By far the most wonderful works of art in the edifice are the windows
of stained glass and the musical facilities. Every window presents a
theme suggestive of the Incarnation. The windows of the porch present
several of the Old Testament characters and events which prefigured
the birth of Christ, and over the door leading to the nave are figures
of Adam and Eve and of Abraham and Sarah. The four windows on the
south side of the nave show the Annunciation, the dream of Joseph, the
salutation of Elizabeth, and the refusal of the stable to the parents
of the infant Redeemer. In the first window of the transept is
presented the inn-keeper's refusal of refuge to Joseph and Mary. The
great window of the south transept, in all about thirty feet high, one
of the largest windows in the world, shows the family of Jesse, the
ancestor of Jesus. Jesse is resting at full length; above him is King
David, and all around are figures of his descendants leading up to the
Virgin Mary with the Holy Child in her arms. Above all, in the apex
of the windows, are the emblems used in prophecies of Christ's coming.
The third window of the south transept shows the Nativity, with the
Babe in the manger. Two windows in the choir are chosen with special
reference to the regular service of the church. The first represents
the appearance of the star in the east to the shepherds of Bethlehem,
introducing the "Gloria in Excelsis," and the second shows the
presentation of Christ in the temple, suggesting the "Nunc Dimittis,"
the "Magnificat," and the "Benedictus." Then beautiful representations
are given in the north transept windows of the Magi bringing gifts to
the infant Saviour, and the wise men before King Herod. The windows
of the nave show the flight into Egypt, the massacre of the innocents,
and the return to Nazareth.
The north window of the transept is the most magnificent of all. It
presents Christ in glory, thus suggesting the "Te Deum." Jesus sits
enthroned with the angels and archangels, prophets, apostles and
martyrs of the church in all ages bending in adoration before Him,
while the heavenly choir are waving palms and chanting music in
honor of Heaven's King. The smaller windows under the roof show the
hierarchy of heaven indicating by music and dances the joy of the
celestial world at the scenes of the Incarnation depicted below. Upon
a bright, sunny day the cathedral is made exquisitely beautiful by
the mellowed radiance of these windows. They were designed and
manufactured by Clayton & Bell, of London, and are esteemed to present
the perfection of their work. Their colors, rich and varied, blend in
perfect harmony, and the intricacy of the groupings makes each one as
interesting as an oil painting.
Six different organs have been built in different parts of the
building. The most important of these is the great organ in the
north apse. It is furnished with four keyboards and 124 stops, with
twenty-four combination stops that admit of more than a million
combinations of sound. On either side of the choir is another organ,
with a fourth of great power in the crypt, a fifth in the tower, and
an echo organ built under the vaulting of the roof. This produces a
soft and weird music. All the organs are operated from the keyboard of
the great apse organ, which also plays the chimes of thirteen bells
in the tower. The choir instruments are made to correspond by means
of iron tubes filled with wind by a bellows engine in the crypt of the
apse. A second engine in the crypt of the tower operates the bellows
that inflate the instruments in the crypt, the tower, and the
vaulting. All the organs and the chimes are connected by electric
wires, about twenty-six miles of which are employed, supplied with
electricity by a motor in the tower engine room. Sublime and grand are
the only terms which can suggest the effect of the volume of harmony
produced by these instruments in united action. They were made by
Hilborne L. Roosevelt, of this city.
The ante-chancel contains the bishop's throne, the dean's seat, and
the stalls of the clergy and canons, all of carved mahogany. A superb
work of art is the altar, in the chancel, which is separated from
the ante-chancel by a heavy bronze railing. The altar is of statuary
marble manufactured by Cox & Sons, of London. Its corner columns are
of black marble, supported by others of flecked marble, with panels
of Sienna and Griote. Between the panels are rich carvings, done
in Antwerp, representing the temptation and fall in Eden; Abraham's
offering of his son Isaac; Moses raising the brazen serpent in the
wilderness; the annunciation to the Virgin; the birth scene in the
stable; the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. The slab of the altar
is inlaid with five crosslets, representing the five wounds, and the
symbol "I. H. S."
None of the cathedral windows are richer than those which circle the
chancel. They present Christ as the Good Shepherd and the apostolic
college. An excellent piece of chiseling is done by Sibbel, the
sculptor of this city, in the panels over the credence. They are
figures of the high priest with a slain lamb, the type of the bloody
sacrifice, and Christ with sheaves of wheat and clusters of grapes,
the unbloody sacrifice. Beneath them is the text, "Thou art a prophet
forever after the order of Melchisedec." The chancel is paved with red
and yellow Sienna marble as center pieces, flanked with squares of
red Griote and white marble, the whole bordered with strips of red and
black marble. The ante-chancel is paved with blocks of red Griote and
verd antique. Two magnificent pieces of statuary stand on either side
of the transept. The first represents Religion holding a little model
of the cathedral. The other is an image of Hope. They were done by
Park, the Florentine sculptor.
In the south apse is the baptistery, built with a tower furnished with
chimes. Its supporting columns are of Languedoc marble clustered with
smaller ones of Sienna and verd antique. Six columns support the dome.
Each is of a different marble, crowned with sculptured capitals in
high relief. The windows are appropriate in theme. They represent Noah
with the ark; the building of the ark; Moses holding the tables of the
law; the passage of the Red Sea; John the Baptist; the Baptism of
the eunuch; St. Philip, the deacon; and the Baptism of Christ. In
the center of the room stands the font upon an octagonal base of two
steps. Its pedestal and bowl are traced with symbolic carvings. Over
it is a canopy of elaborately carved mahogany drawn into a spire
bearing a gold crown, studded with rubies and amethysts.
At the foot of the chancel is the pulpit, of bronze, designed by
Sibbel. Its base is surrounded by figures representing hearers of
the Word. Mr. Sibbel has incorporated an anachronism in one of these
figures that will be exceedingly interesting in coming years. It shows
the features of Henry G. Harrison, of this city, the architect of the
cathedral. The lectern stands on the other side of the ante-chancel,
representing Christ blessing little children. Superb bronze columns
with brass coronas of natural flowers support the roof of the
building. The triforium is carved in the richest style with passion
flowers, fuchsias, roses, and lilies.
In the crypt below are the robing rooms of the clergy and the choir
and the Sunday-school room. Its windows show the arms of every
American diocese. Beneath the choir is the chantry, furnished in
carved oak. Adjoining this room is the famous mausoleum erected to the
memory of Alexander T. Stewart. It is constructed of statuary marble,
and consists of fourteen bays, at the angles of which are triple
columns of the most richly colored imported marbles arched above
the elegantly carved capitals, with open tracery, through which the
headlights of the colored glass are seen. The subjects of the thirteen
windows relate to the passion, death, resurrection, and subsequent
appearances of Christ, and are executed in admirable design and color.
They were made by Heaton, Butler & Bayne, of London. Above the window
openings rises a dome-shaped ceiling, in carved marble, with a pendent
canopy in the center. The pavement, of black and white marbles,
radiates from the center of the sides of this polygonal structure, and
a large white urn, delicately draped after Sibbel's designs, stands
under the pendent canopy. It bears Mr. Stewart's name. The two
entrances to the mausoleum are guarded by open-work bronze gates of
elegant design and workmanship.--_N. Y. Tribune._
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