Peace Fountain
July 27, 2009 | Filed Under Cathedrals/Churches, Fountains, The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine | 15 Comments
I hope you’re not getting tired of St. John the Divine and its surrounding but there’s lot to see there. Next to the cathedral, you’ll find the Children’s Sculpture Garden and one of the things you’ll see is the Peace Fountain. This is a combination of a bronze sculpture and fountain. At the moment, there’s no running water in the fountain. I’m not sure why.
The sculpture represents and celebrates triumph of Good over Evil. It depicts opposite forces such as violence and harmony, light and darkness, life and death. You’ll see Archangel Michael triumphant over Satan.
You’ll also see depictions of the Sun, the Moon, and animals like a giraffe, crab, lion and lamb, which all have symbolic and Biblical interpretations.
Normally you’ll also find at least one live peacock roaming around the fountain. However, I haven’t seen any there in a long time. I don’t know why. Don’t know what happened to them.
Paz
Ed. Note: Laura left a comment that she visited the Peace Garden the day before this post and she saw the peacock. Yay! I’m glad he’s still around. Thanks for letting us know, Laura.
Bobbie wondered about children’s reaction to the sculpture. From what I’ve seen they do not have a negative reaction. The kids I’ve seen around the sculpture are happy. I’ve seen them playing and running around. I’m sure they have questions and interesting comments….
Exterior of St. John the Divine
July 26, 2009 | Filed Under Cathedrals/Churches, Harlem/Morningside Heights, The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine | 13 Comments
This is the Western (and main) entrance into the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. There five portals over the entrance.
Two 3-ton bronze doors stand in the middle, below the central portal. The bronze door on the left is decorated with scenes from the Old Testament, while the bronze door on the right is covered with scenes from the New Testament.
These bronze doors are only opened twice a year — for Easter and the Feast of St. Francis (Blessing of the Animals).
One of the portals over one of the entrances into the Cathedral.
Some visitors heading inside the cathedral, while others pause outside.
These two men walked across the street and set up their cameras in the middle of the street to take a photo of the front of the cathedral. As far as I know, no cars ran them over.
Stained Glass Window
July 25, 2009 | Filed Under Cathedrals/Churches, Harlem/Morningside Heights, Stained Glass Windows, The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine | 9 Comments
The other day, I went into St. John the Divine. It’s one of my favorite religious structures. From top to bottom, it is massive in size. The cathedral is the length of two football stadiums and can comfortably fit the Statute of Liberty inside. No wonder it’s the largest cathedral in the world.
I’ve mentioned in previous posts that construction of the cathedral started in the 1800s but it is still not completed.
I’ve also mentioned in previous posts that one of my favorite services in the cathedral is the Blessing of the Animals, where all types of animals — from elephants, horses, camels, dogs, cats, birds, fish — are brought into the cathedral to be blessed. I love the sight.
Like many other churches and cathedrals, St. John has beautiful stained glass windows. Here’s one example.
Have a great Saturday, all.
Paz
Ed. Note: Let’s all join in on the fun of helping Abraham Lincoln make one of his blogs famous in the Wall Street Journal. He needs about 10,000 visitors’ comments posted on his blog. So, when you have some time, stop by Abraham’s Pick a Peck of Pixels blog. 
The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine
March 25, 2009 | Filed Under Cathedrals/Churches, Harlem/Morningside Heights, The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine | 16 Comments
I love going into churches for different reasons like seeing the architecture and enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. The Cathedral of St. John the Divine is one of my favorites — It’s the largest Gothic-style cathedral in the world. The length of two football fields, it can hold 5000 worshippers and comfortably house the Statue of Liberty.
Several activities take place in the cathedral. My favorite service there is the Blessing of the Animals (The Feast of St. Francis). A few years ago, I took my dogs there and it was quiet an experience. I was surprised that they behaved themselves, along with all the other animals there.
All kinds of animals made an appearance, from dogs, cats, hamsters, snakes, to lizards and birds. A little girl next to me carried her goldfish in a bowl of water, while her brother carried his pet hamster in its little cage. Walking down the aisle to the church altar came an elephant, monkey, donkey, camel, horse… Watching the elephant walk inside the church was a sight to behold.
How fun to go to church with all of God’s creatures!
Paz
Ed. Note: In the comments section, Mari asked whether the construction of this cathedral has been completed. The answer is no. Construction is about two-thirds complete. It began in 1892. Work stopped during World War II. It wasn’t until 1979 that construction resumed again.
In 2001, fire damaged part of the cathedral. As a result of the financial burden of the fire, construction was again suspended and eight years later remains suspended. At this point, there are no plans to resume construction.
Beautiful Window
October 15, 2007 | Filed Under Cathedrals/Churches, Church Architecture, Harlem, The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, West Side | 2 Comments
Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Also affectionately known as St. John the Unfinished, in the local community, because construction and renovation still continues. Construction started in 1892. A minute after I took these pictures, a car came barreling down the street. I had to jump out of the way since I stood in the middle of the street to take the pictures. Yikes!
Paz
