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Divine Stone

Where Did The Reredos Go

Where did the Reredos go
An ad for Barr, Thaw & Fraser proudly proclaiming their work of hand carving the altar screen for the Cathedral.

A reredos is a decorative screen above and behind the high altar. The reredos was structurally separate from the altar ( as compared to retables, a similar paneled, decorative screen attached to the altar back). Highly carved stone or wood panels provide niches for statues and the religious iconography. We are going to explore the evolution of the Cathedral reredos and look into the question of where did the reredos go.

The image below shows the reredos under construction in June of 1909. This was a period that involved the many decorative elements of the interior of the Choir and the Chancel. Architect George Lewis Heins had died in 1907 and his partner Christopher Grant LaFarge was still supervising work on the Cathedral. Their contract, however, ended with the death of one of the partners.

where Did the Reredos go
Partition of Reredos, Credence Table in place

Credence Table

Limestone, cut and carved for the screen, came from The Pierre de Lens quarry in Mouleon, France. This creamy white Oolitic limestone has a fine compact grain structure very suitable for carving and sculpture.

Pierre de Lens quarry
Pierre de Lens quarry

Sculpted Clay Models

Carl Bitter modeled the sculpture of Christ. Leo Lentelli of Barr, Thaw & Fraser carved it. Otto Jahnsen modeled the other figures. They were all carved by Barr, Thaw & Fraser. Following are images of those models:

Reredos Models
The finished stone figure of Christ will be seven feet high, those of Moses and John the Baptist will be six feet 5 inches.
Clay Model Moses
From the left, models for Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Moses. Old Testament figures
John the Baptist and New Testament models
From the left, models for St. John the Baptist, St. Peter, St. James, St. John. New Testament figures.

The completed reredos is part of the 1911 consecration of the partial Cathedral.

Completed reredos
Reredos as seen from Choir

The New Architect Weighs In

The altar screen was perhaps a little underwhelming in the context of the Heins & LaFarge era Choir and Sanctuary. We know that Ralph Adams Cram, the successor consulting architect, praised those in Seville. In a letter to Bishop Manning in 1935, Cram wrote –

“Having lived in the shadow, so to speak, of the Seville reredos, I realize its incomparable majesty and its unique place in the sphere of religious art. I thought I could visualize the cathedral, when once the choir is reconstructed and the great screen taken down, with this great area of smoldering gold drawing the whole thing together”

– Ralph Adams Cram
Seville Reredos
Reredos at Seville Cathedral

Perhaps the best example of reredos is in St. Thomas Church in Manhattan. The church was designed by the partnership of Cram and Goodhue. Architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue and sculptor Lee Lawrie designed the reredos. It was carved by the Ardolino Brothers. The church opened in 1913.

St. Thomas Church reredos, Manhattan
Lee Lawrie’s reredos in the Cram and Goodhue designed St. Thomas Church at 53rd Street and 5th Avenue

Bishop Manning Presides over Removal of the Reredos

On October 14, 1945, a special service marked the new appearance of the high alter and sanctuary. Bishop Manning, clerical members, trustees and staff gathered on the steps leading to the sanctuary. A curtain hid the altar area while the altar screen was being razed. The curtain was removed to reveal an unobstructed view from the great western entrance to the eastern window at the back of the chapel of St. Saviour.

Where Have the Reredos Gone
Where Did the Reredos go
High Altar with Reredos gone

Closing the ceremony, Bishop Manning said:

The altar now stands out clearly and dominantly, as it should…those majestic columns around the apse have now come into their own. They were partly hidden and rendered ineffective by the reredos.

– Bishop William T. Manning

In closing, the Bishop expressed appreciation to Canon Edward N. West for the part he played in suggesting this important change and working with the architects to make it happen.

The Senior Guide tells us the rest of the story

Some months ago, I asked Tom Fedorek, Senior Guide and Cathedral historian, what may have happened to the carvings. As I read the words “razed” and “demolished” in various articles I feared the worse. Tom told me that there were remains and he would fill me in. He told me the cross below, now in the Bishops Green was originally atop the reredos.

Cross on Bishops Green from the removed Reredos
Cross on Bishops Green, originally atop the Reredos behind the Altar. Image courtesy of Tom Fedorek

The One-Hundred Year old statues are in the Crypt

In the Crypt, Tom has identified all but two of the nine statues that made up the reredos.

where did the Reredos go
Reredos Statues in the Crypt, Tom Fedorek identified these as Ezekiel (holding censer in his left hand), St. James (shape of head, position of hands), Jeremiah, John and Isaiah – Image Devin Yalkin, New York Times
Where did the reredos go
Reredos statues in the Crypt
Where did the reredos go
Moses, damaged, lying on floor of Crypt Photo and caption- Tom Fedorek
Where Did the reredos go
Jesus on the left, identifiable because he is taller and larger than any of the other figures. John the Baptist on the right, easily identifiable from his tattered camel’s hair coat. Both on the ground because of damage. Photo and caption- Tom Fedorek
Where did the reredos go
On the left, two of the three Hebrew prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel), identifiable from their head coverings. On the right St. James in front, identifiable from his pilgrim’s staff. St. John behind him is not visible in photo, but is identifiable from the absence of a beard. Photo and caption – Tom Fedorek

  • New York Public Library, Digital Collections
  • Museum of the City of New York
  • Special thanks to Tom Fedorek for his knowledge of the Cathedral