A Guide to
The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine
in the City of New York.
THE NORTH ELEVATION OF THE CATHEDRAL
(From Architect’s Design)
A Guide to the
Cathedral Church
of
Saint John the Divine
in the City of New York
by
Edward Hagaman Hall, L. H. D.
New York
The Laymen’s Club of the Cathedral
1924
Fifth Edition.
Copyright, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1924, by
The Laymen’s Club of
The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine,
New York, N. Y.
This Guide to the Cathedral of Saint John theDivine purposely departs from the conventional guidebook in several respects. The Cathedral of St. Johnthe Divine is not centuries old like those in Europe,but is in the building; and it has seemed appropriatein the first place to express something of its Spiritbefore describing the details of its Fabric. In the nextplace, the great majority of visitors to the Cathedralare strangers, people of other denominations, and, onaccount of its proximity to one of the leading Americanuniversities, students. For this reason, an efforthas been made to avoid technical terms as far as possible;to explain the significance of much symbolismnot generally understood; and to insert Bible referencesfreely for the benefit of those who wish to studyfurther the meaning of the scenes and objects described.Lest some of the explanations—as, for instance,that in regard to the probable date of the completionof the Cathedral—be deemed superfluous, itmay be said that this, as well as nearly every otherstatement in the following pages, is an answer to somequestion asked among the thousand and one interrogationswhich manifest popular interest in the Cathedral’sgrowth. In response to more than one request,“some of those little things that one would tell informallyin explaining the Cathedral to a friend” havebeen included. Among these are the incident of theblind woman who “saw” the Cathedral, which possesses[6]a touching human interest; and the story of theDove of Peace, in which may be seen the beginning ofthe traditional lore that will grow up around the Cathedralas the years roll on.
For their valuable cooperation in the preparation ofthe Guide, grateful acknowledgment is made to theVery Rev. Howard C. Robbins, D.D., Dean of theCathedral, and to the Rev. George F. Nelson, D.D.,and the Rev. Robert Ellis Jones. D.D., Canons. Manythanks for courtesies and accommodations in photographingand studying the Cathedral are also due toMr. Thomas Meatyard, the Verger.