June 1, 2004: St. John the Divine
To me, St. John the Divine is New York City's true cathedral. In its messy incompleteness, it more accurately reflects the reality of its parishoners than the fabulously well formed St. Patrick's, sixty some-odd blocks to the south. St. John's has been under construction since 1892, and apart from a 30 year lapse after the Second World War, construction has continued through the present. As beautiful as the front of the cathedral is, I prefer walking around the grounds- spotting the odd details in the back alleys of the campus.
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all the years i lived just north of nyc, i never really noticed the churches and cathedrals there besides the largest ones. but now, after moving to philadelphia, i've noticed so so many of them all over the city. i love these shots.
I love the peacocks.
The shot of the doors is a real peek into the past.
Peacocks? Indeed, I guess those *would* count as an 'Odd Detail' ;^D
Any idea why they were there? Unless peacocks and peahens have taken to roaming NYC freely these days...
peacocks have been a fixture of the catherdral for many, many years. also red-tailed hawks have nested there occasionally although not sure if they are there this summer. i can see the cathedral from my roof. one of the saddest days was when it caught fire two years + ago. needless to say i love the catheral and will seek refuge there when the 4 horsemen of the Apocalypse ride down Amsterdam Ave!
nice, really nice!
nice shots jake. I love that church, 'cept the last time I visited, there was this scary homeless dude that would bother me every 5 seconds for some spare change, and also said that he was a "professional tour-guide of the church" ha.
I've been in the crypt of St. John....
and I have one or two pictures. It's much like the outside- stone, dirt and plywood, old sculptures and then an office. I love SJTD and can't wait to visit it again.
I am doing research on one of the architects who added his skills to one aspect of SJTD in the mid-30's -- Alfred Easton Poor.
If have any pictures of the details he added, or if you have any information on him and his connection to the Cathedral, please let me know.
Thanks for the great pictures. I hope to see more of them.
LICN
PSM
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