21 December: St John the Divine, New York
Every day throughout Advent, we'll be introducing a different cathedral from around the UK and occasionally beyond
Published:
Denomination: Anglican – Episcopal Church in the USA
Building began: 1892
About the Cathedral:
New York’s Cathedral of St John the Divine was intially planned to be a Romanesque building, but it is also greatly influenced by the Gothic Revival of the early 20th century. Able to hold over 5,000 people, the building is, alongside Liverpool Cathedral, the largest Anglican cathedral in the world – and at 162ft, its dome is so tall that the Statue of Liberty (minus pedestal) could fit inside it. St John the Divine also contains the largest rose window in the US, made up of 10,000 pieces of glass.
Did you know:
Parts of the cathedral, including the magnificent Aeolian-Skinner Great Organ, were restored after fire damage in 2001. The organ has 8,514 pipes and boasts one of the most powerful stops in the world, the State Trumpet. St John the Divine was the setting for the second of Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concerts in 1968, which features an organ prelude.
