West Side Canvas: An UWS Cathedral That Has Been ‘Walking the Service Walk for More Than 100 Years’

Painting and essay by Robert Beck

The First Hundred Years

A bit of orientation to begin. The tall brown thing on the right in the painting is the Bishop’s chair. That’s what makes St. John the Divine at 112th and Amsterdam a cathedral. This view toward the east end of the church beyond the Nave (where everybody sits) leads past the Crossing with the Transepts (wings) on each side, through the Choir (the wood seating on both sides in my image), to the Apse (with the altar), which is for ceremonial use. There is no wall at that end. Instead, seven chapels radiate like the Statue of Liberty’s hat just past the columns, which themselves are set in a curve. The stained glass in the middle of the painting is at the far end of the center chapel.

The chapels are called the Seven Chapels of the Tongues because they are dedicated to non-English-speaking persons. Six of the seven were gifts from wealthy donors. All honored immigrant populations in New York in the late 19th early 20th centuries, a time of Ellis Island, a time of different understandings, a time when the wealthy weren’t far removed from being immigrants themselves. It was the word honor that captured me when I toured the chapels.

The seven chapels all have distinct layouts and architectural styles, and each is remarkable enough to be a destination of its own. The center one, the Chapel of St. Savior, Patron of the Eastern population, was built first. It was completed in 1905 before the main part of the Cathedral, and early services were held there. In time, other chapels were dedicated to the Spanish, Italians, French, Irish/Scots, Germans, and Scandinavians.

The Cathedral isn’t finished; in fact, it’s only two-thirds complete. Large portions of the raw stone are exposed. A transept (one of the wings) hasn’t been built yet. The North Tower is missing. As one person said, it takes 700 years to build a cathedral. However, there is plenty of space to hold services, local and international events, and function as a vital cultural element of the city and the large diocese that stretches up the Hudson. The architectural elements not only reference classical styles but also feature contemporaneous sculptural contributions, including an altarpiece by Keith Haring, a delightful menagerie of creatures by Tom Otterness adorning the interior, and external stone carvings that include planes, automobiles, and a startling rendition of the collapse of the city. I kept having “Wait, this is a cathedral?” moments.

There are always exhibitions and events. St. John the Divine is a living and evolving part of the populace, focused on giving it voice and serving its needs. They have been involved in advocacy initiatives throughout their history and are strong supporters of the arts, exercising a language and range of expression that elevates the overall community. They have been walking the service walk for more than a hundred years.

I painted from St. John’s six-hundred-foot-long nave (that’s two football fields) because I love the sensation of volume and mass there. It’s one hundred and seventy-seven feet to the roof. You walk inside and expand. St. John is the world’s fourth-largest church. A self-guided tour is free. A donation box is available.

I talked with a St. John’s educator, who said the Seven Chapels of Tongues are a favorite with kids. After they see them and discuss their history, she asks who the chapels would be dedicated to if they were built today. Who would they honor? It’s an excellent question.

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See more of Robert Beck’s work and visit his UWS studio at www.robertbeck.net. Let him know if you have a connection to an archetypical UWS place or event that would make a good West Side Canvas subject. Thank you!

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