Divine Stone

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.

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.

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 (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.

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.

• 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 Fedorek became a docent at the Cathedral in 1984. He knew Alan Bird and several of the cutters and carvers. He is now the Senior Volunteer Guide. His video presentations on the Portal of Paradise are must see and hear. They cover the history of this 12 year endeavor, the design elements and the people who worked on it. Additionally, the biblical connections are defined. Each of the four episodes are important. If you don’t have time at one sitting for them all, please come back. Enjoy Tom Fedorek’s guide to the Portal of Paradise.

Episode 1 – 8 minutes, 12 seconds

Episode 2 – 13 minutes, 53 seconds

Episode 3 – 13 minutes, 39 seconds

Episode 4 – 15 minutes, 58 seconds

In this last video, there isn’t the usual discussion of the base for the final statue, that of John the Baptist. We asked Tom to tell us about the carver of that base and its symbolism. Here is what he told us.

“The base stone was carved by Jean-Claude Marchionni. JC’s work tends to be busier and more roughly textured than Simon’s.

“As for the symbolism, Isaiah writes of the prophet called to announce the coming of the Lord and the deliverance of his people from exile: ‘A voice cries: In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God’. (Isaiah 40:3) The Gospel writers understood John the Baptist, the immediate forerunner of Jesus, to be his prophet. All four Gospels refer to John as ‘the voice of one crying in the wilderness.’ “

Lastly, of note is the small dog with the camera around its neck. The dog’s name is Cooper and celebrates both Martha Cooper, a photographer who documented the portal carving project for four years, as well as the thousands of camera-toting tourists who flock to the Cathedral each year. This concludes Tom Fedorek’s Guide to the Portal of Paradise.

• We are indebted to Tom Fedorek for his presentations and his knowledge of the Cathedral, and the overall work of the Department of Education and Visitor Services.
• As well, our gratitude to Ruth Whaley, Manager, Community and Educational Initiatives for the work that they do.