Inside the Cathedral of St. John the Divine

I made a return trip to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine on a bright sunny day. Since I’ve covered the exterior and the church history in an earlier post, this will be mostly covering the interior and the sections I did not walk by, including the fire damage of the north transept. The interior is quite vast, there are no pews for people to sit in, just chairs in the end of the nave that connects with the transepts. The transepts stop at the edge of the nave. I see no evidence of a south transept, but the north one was damaged and collapsed in a fire back in 2001. In the ambulatory and the apse there are 3 chapels, a mausoleum, and the crypt of a bishop.

The west end of the nave are wide open and the light comes shining in through the stained glass windows in such a way to create a rainbow effect on the pillars. There are numerous pieces of art spread out along the nave and aisles. Most are religious and possibly artifacts/relics, but there are a few modern pieces, including some in reference to 9/11.

There is a suggested donation before you enter the nave. There are also several tours that would take you to other areas of the cathedral. I didn’t go on a day that explored the upper levels so I settled on exploring the main floor on my own. Not a total let down. It gives me a reason to go back a third time to see more in the future.

The apse of the east end of the cathedral overlooking Morningside Park.

The front facade of the cathedral.

The nave with the sunlight coming through the windows.

The ceiling of the nave.

One of the windows along the nave.

The rose window over the entrance.

Always remember to look up, wherever you are, and you may see some great views.

Reached the seated area of the nave.

The altar and surrounding choir. Two organs are found above the seats.

The view from the altar. That table is level. The cathedral isn’t.

Some remaining reminders of the fire damage on the inside of the building.

Shadow play in the ambulatory.

The altar in a chapel in the apse and its stained glass window.

Looking back through one of the gates in the apse towards the rose window. How’s that for placement?

Looking towards the ceiling on the altar. Someone left out a ladder.

Looking back from the altar to the nave. Look at the light effect.

Quite possibly one of my favorite shots I got all day. It encompasses the entire nave and you can see the altar in the background.

This is the fire damage on the north transept. It doesn’t look like it will be repaired anytime soon, if ever.

Next week: The snow finally arrived! So we will have a romp through Central Park with tons and tons of snow.