The Compass Rose is located on the pavement of the Choir. It is the official emblem of the Worldwide Anglican Communion. This iteration of the emblem in stone and brass was designed by John Barton in the late 1980’s. John was an architect at the Cathedral and received his Masters in Religion from Yale University.
Various similar Compass Roses are installed in many churches including the Cathedral Church of Christ Canterbury, England and in the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Paul (National Cathedral) in Washington, D.C. The center of the Compass Rose contains the cross of St. George. The text surrounding the central cross is in Greek. It translates as: “The truth will set you free.” The points of a compass reflect the spread of the Anglican Christianity throughout the world. The mitre at the top indicates the role of Episcopacy and Anglican Order that is the heart of the traditions of the Churches of the Communion. The emblem was originally designed by Canon Edward West of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York.
Canon Edward West
Canon Edward West
The Rev. Dr. Edward Nason West (1909-1990) was a theologian, an author, an internationally known iconographer, an expert in the design of church furnishings, and an authority on liturgical art. As Canon Sacrist he presided over and organized all ceremonies large and small for more than 40 years. His ashes lie below the Compass Rose. The Archbishop of Canterbury dedicated the Compass Rose on September 20, 1992.
“At the service, Dean Morton told a story about the time he asked Canon West where he’d like his final resting place to be. West, who served under five different bishops at the cathedral, replied ‘Just put me where the bishops can still walk all over me.’ So there he lies where the grand liturgical processions he was so skilled at orchestrating do, in fact, walk all over him.”
– Tom Fedorek, Senior Guide
The Pavement
Choir Pavement – Compass Rose now in center
Unique stones from around the world make up the Choir pavement. The risers of the steps leading from the Crossing to the Choir are of yellow Numidian marble (Algiers and Tunis) and the treads of green Pennsylvanian marble. The style of the pavement of the Choir is Romanesque and Byzantine. It contains inlays with Numidian, Swiss and other marbles and Grueby Faience tiles. The steps to the Presbytery are marble from Hauteville, France.
In the center of the floor of the Presbytery is a beautiful mosaic “rug” of tiles and stones. It is 32 1/2 feet long and 10 feet wide with smaller patterns at the ends. Black Belgian marble surrounded by Italian violet marble created the central oval. This is now the placement for the Compass Rose. Grueby tiles of many colors and Grecian, red Numidian and other marbles form the rest of the design.
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John Barton, AIA
New York Times, Jan 5, 1990, Edward West, Retired Canon And Author, 80
Guide to the Cathedral, Hall, 1928
Tom Fedorek, Senior Guide, Cathedral of St. John the Divine.
Evans & Tombs crew on location in St.Paul, MN, Circa 1889. John Evans can be seen in background, seated at a small table.
John Evans (1847-1923) was born in Caernarvon, Wales. He trained as a stone carver under his father in England before arriving in New York in 1872. After a year in Chicago after the big fire he returned to the East. He settled in Boston in 1873. Initially Evans worked out of his house and studio near Copley Square. In 1880 he moved to a studio/shop on Huntington Avenue and joined in business with carpenter and wood carver Richard J. Tombs. The company initially known as Evans and Tombs became the John Evans & Company in 1890. Later the firm became John Evans & Son. His reputation as the finest carver of his time was widespread. Evans became one of the country’s leading wood and stone carvers and modelers. As a result, the firm specialized in ecclesiastical commissions. His services were in demand by the most prominent architectural firms of the day.
The architect Ralph Adams Cram knew well of Evans’ firm. Evans had a professional partnership with Henry Hobson Richardson from 1873 until Richardson’s death in 1886. Richardson’s successor firm continued to use the John Evans Company. Cram valued craftsmen who could carry out his designs whether in stained glass, stone, wood or textiles.
Synod House
The firm of Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson finished the design for Synod Hall in 1912. This was to be the first of the Cathedral’s auxiliary buildings. Furthermore, the building’s site had a prominent position facing Amsterdam Avenue like the Cathedral itself. The auditorium would provide seating for over 1,000 and the building would house committee and conference rooms as well as Bishop’s offices.
The Gothic Revival style Synod House is clad in a unique quartzite from Kingwood, West Virginia. It also features a steeply pitched roof covered in slate. Buttresses flank inset arches pierced by doors and windows, lancet-arched windows, turrets, label lintels, and a central gabled section having monumental arches. Cram indicated he…
” wanted to make this Hall the most beautiful thing in New York…with a color combination that would be unique, and at the same time strikingly beautiful.”
– Ralph Adams Cram
A train load of the Kingwood Antique Yellow Quartzite for the new Synod House of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine – Image Stone Magazine, 1912
Evans’ Carvings
The Synod House front facade is elaborate and highly ornamented. The projecting Gothic arched entrance portal’s carvings are the work of the John Evans & Company.
Synod House Entrance
The archivolts contain three ranges of 36 figures that illustrate the progress of civilization and Christianity. Accordingly, the Apostles of Christianity, the arts and sciences, and crafts and industries are portrayed. In the tympanum are relief figures of Christ sending his disciples to preach. Flanking the entrance doors are seven figures of famous Christian rulers, including George Washington in the center.
Synod House Entrance Figures Explaned
The “Architecture” archivolt uses Ralph Adams Cram as the model.
Detail of Archivolts at the Entrance to Synod House Carved by the John Evans Company – images by Tyko Kihlstedt
The official completion of Synod house was May of 1914.
The Potter Memorial Pulpit
The pulpit, designed by Henry Vaughn, is near the entrance to the Choir on the Crossing. The dedication took place on Sunday, September 10, 1916. The John Evans Company carved the marble as well as the quarter sawn oak canopy. The stone is Tennessee Marble, “an uncrystalline limestone favorable for very fine work”.
The Potter Memorial Pulpit Carved by John Evans and Company – Image courtesy Wayne Kempton, Cathedral Archives
This description is from STONE, Sept. 1916…
“The structure has six sides, and is eleven feet high and fifteen feet long and six and one-half wide. On the upper part are carved these scenes from the life of Christ, enclosed in Gothic portals: The Nativity, Christ questioning the doctors, The Crucifiction, The Resurrection and The Supper at Emmaus. The backgrounds are in bas-relief and depth and space are given to the subjects. Single figures of saints and ecclesiastics stand in small niches at the angles.
On the base between the slender flowered pillars are the symbols of the Evangelists: The angel, the lion, the ox and the eagle. The central column is formed by five flat Gothic portals. The shield of the church and the sacred flowers ornament the lowest part of the base. Statues of St. John the Baptist and Isaiah stand on the posts of the balustrade of pierced tracery. The faces of all of the figures have an animation which is not often found in modern church sculpture. The sounding board is carved in exquisite Gothic ornaments.
Side View and Rear View of Potter Memorial Pulpit
Amidst the grandeur of the Cathedral, this intricately carved pulpit is worth a close-up look.
The Historical Parapet
The Historical Parapet or Choir Parapet is at the entrance to the Choir. John Evans & Co. carved the figures. Symbolically, it represents outstanding characters of the 20 centuries of the Christian Era. Cram & Ferguson designed the Parapet. Installation occurred in 1923.
Febo Ferrari (1865-1949) modeled the first 19 figures. Ferrari was born in Italy and later studied at the Royal Academy of Art in Turin. He worked in Paris and Buenos Aires until he came to America in 1903. He had a studio in New Haven, Conn.
It is in two sections, one on each side of the steps leading from the Crossing to the Choir. Each section of the Parapet is 18 1/2 feet long and 4 feet high. The main stone used is Champville marble from France. The overall style is French Gothic.
Columbia University Libraries
Columbia University Libraries
The 20th stone remained uncarved until the end of the Twentieth Century. Eventually, the committee chose four individuals to represent the most recent century. Chris Pellettieri was to do that carving.
Martin Luther King, Jr., Albert Einstein, Susan B. Anthony, Mahatma Ghandi. Carving by Chris Pellettieri
The Open Air Pulpit
The Open Air Pulpit stands in the midst of the Cathedral Close. Specifically it is an open work Gothic spire 40 feet high. The pulpit carving is of Daytona Stone. The usual symbols of the four evangelists appear on its four sides. It is purported to be a work of the John Evans Company. No installation date is available.
Open Air Pulpit Carved by the John Evans Company
John Evans – Carver, Modeler, Teacher
Evans’ architectural sculptures in stone are numerous, including many in granite. He worked in wood as well as being one of the very few names associated with carved brick. By the mid 1880’s his time was eventually spent in modeling works that would be executed by others in his employ.
Over his career Evans employed a large number of young craftsmen in his studio. Without doubt he was a strong supporter of the apprenticeship system. He worked to spread his craft outside the studio as well. In 1877 he became director of the School of Modeling and Sculpture at Boston’s Museum of Fine Art, teaching both men and women. Twenty years later he would go on to oversee a system of workshops for the first Society of Arts and Crafts in America. He and his partner Richard Tombs were both founding members.
For nearly five decades, Evans engaged in stonework on hundreds of buildings in the East and Midwest. Those of national importance are, of course, St. John The Divine as well as Washington Cathedral and Trinity Church, Boston. Upon his passing, many acts of personal kindness were noted by the local union’s Corresponding Secretary. This is recorded in the Stone Cutters Journal.
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Stone Cutters Journal, Vol. 37, No. 1
STONE magazine, Sept. 1916
American Architect, Dec. 17, 1913; April 3, 1912
Architecture and Building, Synod Hall, Nov., 1913
Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine and the Cathedral Close, Designation Report, NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission, Feb 21, 2017
Charitably Speaking, Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association, MCMA History – John Evans, Author-John Moriarty, December, 2013
John Evans (1847-1923) and Architectural Sculpture in Boston, Ann Clifford, 1992
As for the relief sculptures in video 1, the first one depicts Christ before Pilate (the bald guy). It is in the north portal. The Nativity shown in the film is more elaborate than the one Angel did for the south portal. It may be an earlier version of it, or perhaps a piece he did for a different project altogether.
The figure above St Lawrence seen in the video 2 is the sibyl Cimmeria. Sibyls were oracles, priestesses of Apollo who prophesied at holy sites around the ancient Greek-speaking world. Some of their prophecies were preserved and gathered into books. Christian scholars who studied the Sibylline Books during the revival of classical antiquity in the Renaissance imagined they had discovered prophecies of the New Testament in these pre-Christian writings, just as they found foreshadowings of the New Testament in the writings of the Hebrew prophets. Sibyls appear in Renaissance art, often accompanying the Hebrew prophets, most famously in Michelangelo’s frescoes for the Sistine Chapel.
Sybil Cimmeria with Horn
The upper rank of the north portal depicts eight of the twelve sibyls, identified below by their names and attributes and listed in order beginning with the panel above St Thomas Becket and proceeding clockwise to the panel above St Denis:
Cumaea (sponge) – Jesus given a sponge filled with vinegar while on the cross Europa (sword) – Herod’s slaughter of the innocents Agrippa (scourge) – the scourging of Jesus by Roman soldiers Libyica (torch) – Christ the light of the world Cimmeria (horn) – Jesus nursed by Mary (the horn was the baby bottle of the ancient world) Hellespontica (cross) – the crucifixion Phrygia (banner) – the resurrection Persica (dragon) – Christ’s victory over Satan, sin and death
Some of John Angel’s sibyls appear with the books of their prophecies.
Not depicted in the north portal: Erythraea, Samia, Tiburtina, Delphica.
The thing that attracts me the most to this layout by Heins and LaFarge lies at the corner of Cathedral Parkway (110th St) and Morningside Drive. It is a dramatic stairway leading from that corner to what would have become the South Transept entrance to the Cathedral. The idea was first floated that people strolling in the northern area of Central Park would look west and see the cathedral. They would then promenade down Cathedral Parkway and up the staircase, creating a natural connection between the two.
1903 Drawing in Colored Ink, Cathedral St. John the Divine, Heins & LaFarge Architects
Kudos to Steve Boyle for his sharp eye and his generosity in donating this valuable artifact to the cathedral archives. It is quite intriguing to see where H&L planned to put the auxiliary buildings. Synod House eventually wound up in the opposite corner of the Close. The Deaconesses Institute (the current Diocesan House) also moved from the north side to the south.
Most interesting is the grand staircase rising from the SE corner of the Close to the south transept. I’d guess that H&L anticipated that most visitors would travel to the cathedral via the 110th St station of the 9th Ave elevated train, one short block away. The el was the only mass transit serving the area in 1903; the Broadway IRT would not open until the following year and the 8th Ave IND until 1940, when the el was demolished. The staircase may also be a vestige of H&L’s 1891 design, which had the cathedral on a north-south axis with the main entrance on Cathedral Parkway.
Roger, I don’t know if you’ve gotten my past comments, so forgive me if I’m being redundant.
I wrote a while back to say I was employed at St. John from 1990-92. I am currently a full time fine-art sculptor. My Grandfather, Leopold de Christopher (de Christofaro) was a stonecutter from Italy who ended up in Philadelphia. He was from the same town as Eduardo Ardolino, Torre le Nocelle. It turns out I am cousins with Eduardo.
1903 Drawing in Colored Ink, Cathedral St. John the Divine, Heins & LaFarge Architects
A vintage drawing was discovered in a New York flea market by Master Mason Stephen Boyle. Having worked on the Cathedral for many years, he could instantly identify the drawing. This precious artifact is now on its way to the Cathedral Archives, a gift from Steve.
At the time of the drawing, the images below represent what was happening on the ground.
Byron Company Image, Museum of the City of New York
Foundation Piers, Monumental Columns being erected, Belmont Chapel (Chapel of St. Saviour) on Left
Belmont Chapel (Chapel of St. Saviour) First of the Apsidal Chapels and Great Arches, Rotograph Company Image, Museum of the City of New York
The bold black in the drawing represent the foundation piers in place in this plan view in 1903.
The Cathedral Close turned out differently as did the the Cathedral. A shift occurred around 1911. The brief love affair with the eclectic Byzantine/Romanesque/Gothic design elements faded in favor of French Gothic and many changes occurred. In plan view, you can see one of them, the length and width of the Nave.
Currently Configured Cathedral
1903 Drawing in Colored Ink, Cathedral St. John the Divine, Heins & LaFarge Architects
The vintage drawing discovered by the Master Mason is a valuable record for the history of the Cathedral.
Heins & LaFarge
The pair met at M.I.T. during their studies. They established their partnership in New York in 1888. The young firm won the commission for the Cathedral in 1891. Heins was the field man, the builder. LaFarge was the principal designer.
In its design for the Cathedral, Heins and LaFarge employed a centrally massed plan. It consisted of a prominent crossing tower, an apsidal end, apsidal chapels and rounded transepts. The exterior combined round-arch Romanesque and Byzantine elements with Gothic Details. The interior contained many Richardsonian Romanesque touches, named after their mentor Henry Hobson Richardson.
Heins and LaFarge’s inspiration was Santa Sophia in Istanbul, St. Mark’s in Venice and St. Front in Perigueux, France. The design epitomized the eclecticism that defined the architecture of that era, which favored the exotic over the didactic to solve contemporary design dilemmas. It tried to capture some of the character of European cathedrals which were built over long periods of time and contained elements of many styles.
Bishop Horatio Potter’s Tomb, Founder of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine
Bishop Horatio Potter (1802-1887) was the Cathedral’s Founder. Additionally he was the sixth Bishop of New York. In 1872 he secured the requisite permissions for the Cathedral. The architect for Bishop Potter’s tomb was Thomas Nash and the sculptor was Isidore Konti. The English Gothic style of the 15th century is apparent. Specifically, studies of the tomb of Edward the Confessor in Westminster Abbey influenced the design.
The sarcophagus, the recumbent figure of the Bishop and the figures of the five ornamental niches of the front are of Indiana limestone. The figures, from left to right are Edward the Confessor, St. Remigius, St. John the Divine, St. Isidore and St. Theodosius. Bishop Horatio Potter’s tomb is located in the Ambulatory between the fourth and fifth great pillars opposite the entrance to St. Saviors Chapel. Its position directly behind the High Altar is that traditionally reserved for the Founder of a cathedral. The Bishop’s remains were transferred here from Poughkeepsie on St. John’s Day in 1921.
Isidore Konti
Isidore Konti (July 9, 1862 – January 11, 1938) was a Vienna born sculptor. He entered the Imperial Academy in Vienna at age 16. In 1886 he won a scholarship to study in Rome for two years. Later upon returning to Austria, Konti worked as an architectural modeler. After moving to America and working on the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, he eventually moved to New York City. In New York he began working as an assistant to fellow Austrian expatriate Karl Bitter. Like many sculptors of that epoch Konti created architectural sculpture. His skills as a modeler kept him in much demand. Accordingly in 1906 The National Academy of Design elected him an Associate member and he became a full Academician in 1909. Konti died in Yonkers, New York.
Another Bishop Potter’s Tomb
In September 1883, his failing health forced Bishop Horatio Potter to ask for an assistant to relieve him of administrative tasks. As a result the Diocesan Convention elected Henry Codman Potter. Henry C. Potter was the nephew of Bishop Horatio Potter and at the time was rector of Grace Church, New York.
After Horatio Potter obtained the charter for the cathedral, nothing more was done until the episcopate of his nephew. When Henry Potter became assistant bishop, he convened the Trustees to address the property issue. Earlier a board of trustees was convened to purchase property below Central Park. Several donors were secured but after the Panic of 1873, they could no longer contribute. This time, in 1887, they chose a site in Morningside Heights, the highest ground in Manhattan. On December 27, 1892 he laid the cornerstone. In the the winter of. 1896-1897 Bishop Henry Potter worked full time raising money for the Cathedral.
The Tomb of Bishop Henry Codman Potter – Seventh Bishop of New York. Library of Congress, Bains News Service ca. 1915
This Bishop Potter’s tomb is located in the Chapel of St. James. The tomb is carved from Siena marble. On the tomb is a recumbent figure of the Bishop in Seravezza marble. The finely carved figure was sculpted by Mr. James E. Fraser.
James Earle Fraser
James Earle Fraser (November 4, 1876 – October 11, 1953) was born in Winona, Minnesota. Fraser began carving figures early in life from pieces of limestone scavenged from a stone quarry close to his home. He attended classes at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago In 1890. He also studied at the Ecole Des Beaux Arts and the Academie Julian in Paris in the late 19th century.
His architectural sculpture and monuments adorn many locations in New York and Washington, D.C. As a result Fraser became one of the most prominent American sculptors of the first half of the 20th century. If you check your pocket change, you may be carrying around one of his sculptures. He designed the Indian Head Buffalo nickel.
1913 Indian Head nickel designed by James Earle Fraser
Among other sources we relied heavily of various editions of A Guide to the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in the city of New York, by Edward Hagman Hall
Tom Fedoreksays:
Wayne kemptonsays:
Tim de Christophersays:
