Church of St. Ignatius Loyola (New York City)
Encyclopedia
The Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola is a Roman Catholic parish
located on the Upper East Side
of Manhattan
, New York City
, administered by the Society of Jesus
(Jesuits). The parish is under the authority of the Archdiocese of New York
and was established in 1851 as St. Lawrence O’Toole’s Church. Permission to change the patron saint of the parish from St. Lawrence O’Toole to St. Ignatius of Loyola. The address is 980 Park Avenue, New York City, New York 10028. The church on the southwest corner of Park Avenue
and 84th Street is part of a Jesuit complex on the block that includes the parish hall (“Wallace Hall,” beneath the church), the rectory at the midblock location on Park Avenue, the grade school of St. Ignatius’s School on the north midblock location of 84th Street behind the church and the high school of Loyola School
(also 980 Park Avenue) at the northwest corner of Park Avenue and 83rd Street. In addition, another Jesuit high school, Regis High School
(55 E 84th Street), occupies the midblock location on the north side of 84th Street. The church was added to the National Register on July 24, 1980.
in 1866 and marked the Jesuits’ first major apostolate in the Yorkville
area of New York. Late-nineteenth-century directories listed the address of St. Lawrence at the corner of Park Avenue and East 84th Street.
The present grand limestone edifice stands as testimony to both the growing affluence and confidence of the Catholic community on New York’s Upper East Side near the turn of the century as well as the ambitious determination of Fr. Neil McKinnon, S.J., pastor of the parish from 1893-1907.”
The church was the site of Jacqueline Kennedy's funeral in May 1994, and the singer Aaliyah
in 2001.
The church's present foundation was built 1884-1886 as the foundations to a planned Gothic design. The parish was transferred to Jesuit control in 1886. The present church was built 1895 to 1900 to the designs of architect J. William Schickel
of Schickel and Ditmars, and dedicated on December 11, 1898, by the Most Reverend Michael Corrigan
, third Archbishop of New York.
The church was declared a New York City Landmark on March 4, 1969. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 24, 1980.
; most of the intricate marble work was executed by Betterson and Eisele of New York.
The marble mosaic Stations of the Cross
panels were designed by Professor Paoletti for Salviati & Company of Venice
, some were publicly exhibited in Turin
before installation.
“The great twelve-panel bronze doors located at the sanctuary end of the side aisles…were designed by the Rev. Patrick O’Gorman, S.J., pastor from 1924 to 1929... [and were] crafted by the Long Island Bronze Company….”
The Jesuit statues, including St. Francis Xavier, St. John Francis Regis were carved by the Joseph Sibbel Studio of New York in Carrarra marble.
The church is notable for its organ, dedicated in 1993 and built by N.P. Mander of London
, “this instrument is New York City’s largest mechanical action (tracker) pipe organ, and the largest mechanical action pipe organ ever to have been built in the British Isles.”
Baptistery: The semi-circular wrought-iron baptistery
screen in the Chapel of John the Baptist of gilt flaming swords was wrought by Mr. John Williams to the designs of William Schickel
. The baptistery font is of Carrarra marble set above marble pavement designed “by Heaton, Butler & Bayne of London, with slight modifications made by Mr. John Buck of the Ecclesiastical Department of the Gorham Company of New York; the Gorham Company was also responsible for cutting and installing the mosaic’s tesserae (the pieces comprising the mosaic).” The baptistery's altar and surround curved walls is of Pavonazzo marble
inlaid with mosaics, “designed and executed under the direction of Mr. Caryl Coleman of the Ecclesiastical Department of the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company. These mosaics, composed of that company’s justly famous opalescent Favrile glass, are as delicate as the Venetian glass mosaics above are bold.” Tiffany also executed the baptistery's semi-dome.
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
located on the Upper East Side
Upper East Side
The Upper East Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, between Central Park and the East River. The Upper East Side lies within an area bounded by 59th Street to 96th Street, and the East River to Fifth Avenue-Central Park...
of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, administered by the Society of Jesus
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
(Jesuits). The parish is under the authority of the Archdiocese of New York
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York covers New York, Bronx, and Richmond counties in New York City , as well as Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester counties in New York state. There are 480 parishes...
and was established in 1851 as St. Lawrence O’Toole’s Church. Permission to change the patron saint of the parish from St. Lawrence O’Toole to St. Ignatius of Loyola. The address is 980 Park Avenue, New York City, New York 10028. The church on the southwest corner of Park Avenue
Park Avenue (Manhattan)
Park Avenue is a wide boulevard that carries north and southbound traffic in New York City borough of Manhattan. Through most of its length, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenue to the east....
and 84th Street is part of a Jesuit complex on the block that includes the parish hall (“Wallace Hall,” beneath the church), the rectory at the midblock location on Park Avenue, the grade school of St. Ignatius’s School on the north midblock location of 84th Street behind the church and the high school of Loyola School
Loyola School (New York City)
Loyola School was founded in 1900 in the Upper East Side of New York City by the Society of Jesus. Originally a Catholic boys school, Loyola has been coeducational since 1973 and today Loyola is the only Jesuit, independent, and co-ed college preparatory secondary school in the Tri-State Region...
(also 980 Park Avenue) at the northwest corner of Park Avenue and 83rd Street. In addition, another Jesuit high school, Regis High School
Regis High School (New York City)
Regis High School is a private Jesuit university-preparatory school for academically gifted Roman Catholic young men located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Annual class enrollment is limited to approximately 135 male students from the New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut tri-state area...
(55 E 84th Street), occupies the midblock location on the north side of 84th Street. The church was added to the National Register on July 24, 1980.
History
The parish was established in 1851. Occupying “the site of the former St. Lawrence O’Toole Church, founded in 1851, and named for a twelfth-century bishop of Dublin by the parish’s first pastor, the Rev. Eugene O‘Reilly from Ireland. The parish was entrusted to the care of the Society of JesusSociety of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
in 1866 and marked the Jesuits’ first major apostolate in the Yorkville
Yorkville, Manhattan
Yorkville is a neighborhood in the greater Upper East Side, in the Borough of Manhattan in New York City. Yorkville's boundaries include: the East River on the east, 96th Street on the north, Third Avenue on the west and 72nd Street to the south. However, its southern boundary is a subject of...
area of New York. Late-nineteenth-century directories listed the address of St. Lawrence at the corner of Park Avenue and East 84th Street.
The present grand limestone edifice stands as testimony to both the growing affluence and confidence of the Catholic community on New York’s Upper East Side near the turn of the century as well as the ambitious determination of Fr. Neil McKinnon, S.J., pastor of the parish from 1893-1907.”
The church was the site of Jacqueline Kennedy's funeral in May 1994, and the singer Aaliyah
Aaliyah
Aaliyah Dana Haughton , who performed under the mononym Aaliyah , was an American R&B recording artist, actress and model. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. At the age of 10, she appeared on the television show Star Search and performed in concert alongside...
in 2001.
Architecture
A wooden church was erected in 1852, which was replaced in 1853 by a modest brick structure.The church's present foundation was built 1884-1886 as the foundations to a planned Gothic design. The parish was transferred to Jesuit control in 1886. The present church was built 1895 to 1900 to the designs of architect J. William Schickel
J. William Schickel
J. William Schickel, FAIA, known professionally as William Schickel, was a German-American architect and founder of the New York architectural firm of Schickel & Ditmars.-Life and practice:...
of Schickel and Ditmars, and dedicated on December 11, 1898, by the Most Reverend Michael Corrigan
Michael Corrigan
Michael Augustine Corrigan was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, who served as the third archbishop of New York from 1885 to 1902.-Early life:...
, third Archbishop of New York.
The church was declared a New York City Landmark on March 4, 1969. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 24, 1980.
Description of Exterior
St. Ignatius Loyola, A Pictorial History and Walking Guide of New York City’s Church of St. Ignatius Loyol (1999) includes an exemplary description of the exterior and interior of the church: “Two unbroken vertical orders, a Palladian arched window, and a tri-part horizontal division suggesting the central nave and side aisles beyond, lend a Classical balance to the Park Avenue exterior. Yet St. Ignatius’ façade is not static; the central division raised in slight relief beyond the side divisions and the varying intervals between the symmetrically positioned pilasters (columns that are not free standing) create a subtly undulating dynamism that introduces a note of syncopated rhythm reminiscent of the exterior of Il Gesù, the Jesuits’ mother church in Rome. The original plans for the street front of St. Ignatius, presently 90 feet high and 87 feel wide, included a pair of towers designed to reach 210 feet above the ground, but this feature of the project was abandoned early, leaving only the two copper-capped tower bases on either side of the central pediment as hints of the grander scheme. Located directly beneath this pediment are the motto of the Society of Jesus, Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God) and the Great Seal of the Society, composed of a cross, three nails, and the letters I H S (the first three letters of Jesus’ name in Greek which later became a Latin acronym denoting Jesus the Savior of Humankind); together they proclaim to all who pass by that St. Ignatius is a Jesuit Parish.…”Description of Interior
The church is constructed of American, European and African marbles, including pink Tennesse, red-veined Numidian, yellow Sienna, pink Algerian marble, white Carrarra marble, Pavonazzo marblePavonazzo marble
Pavonazzo marble is a white marble from Italy.The name derives from the Italian word for peacock . "In natural stone trade, Pavonazzo is often simply called a Marble." It is one of the many varieties of Carrara marble, distinguished by black/gray-veined white marble. Also referred to as...
; most of the intricate marble work was executed by Betterson and Eisele of New York.
The marble mosaic Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross refers to the depiction of the final hours of Jesus, and the devotion commemorating the Passion. The tradition as chapel devotion began with St...
panels were designed by Professor Paoletti for Salviati & Company of Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, some were publicly exhibited in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
before installation.
“The great twelve-panel bronze doors located at the sanctuary end of the side aisles…were designed by the Rev. Patrick O’Gorman, S.J., pastor from 1924 to 1929... [and were] crafted by the Long Island Bronze Company….”
The Jesuit statues, including St. Francis Xavier, St. John Francis Regis were carved by the Joseph Sibbel Studio of New York in Carrarra marble.
The church is notable for its organ, dedicated in 1993 and built by N.P. Mander of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, “this instrument is New York City’s largest mechanical action (tracker) pipe organ, and the largest mechanical action pipe organ ever to have been built in the British Isles.”
Baptistery: The semi-circular wrought-iron baptistery
Baptistery
In Christian architecture the baptistry or baptistery is the separate centrally-planned structure surrounding the baptismal font. The baptistry may be incorporated within the body of a church or cathedral and be provided with an altar as a chapel...
screen in the Chapel of John the Baptist of gilt flaming swords was wrought by Mr. John Williams to the designs of William Schickel
J. William Schickel
J. William Schickel, FAIA, known professionally as William Schickel, was a German-American architect and founder of the New York architectural firm of Schickel & Ditmars.-Life and practice:...
. The baptistery font is of Carrarra marble set above marble pavement designed “by Heaton, Butler & Bayne of London, with slight modifications made by Mr. John Buck of the Ecclesiastical Department of the Gorham Company of New York; the Gorham Company was also responsible for cutting and installing the mosaic’s tesserae (the pieces comprising the mosaic).” The baptistery's altar and surround curved walls is of Pavonazzo marble
Pavonazzo marble
Pavonazzo marble is a white marble from Italy.The name derives from the Italian word for peacock . "In natural stone trade, Pavonazzo is often simply called a Marble." It is one of the many varieties of Carrara marble, distinguished by black/gray-veined white marble. Also referred to as...
inlaid with mosaics, “designed and executed under the direction of Mr. Caryl Coleman of the Ecclesiastical Department of the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company. These mosaics, composed of that company’s justly famous opalescent Favrile glass, are as delicate as the Venetian glass mosaics above are bold.” Tiffany also executed the baptistery's semi-dome.
List of Rectors
- 1. Rev. Eugene O'Reilly, rector 1851-August 5, 1852
- 2. Rev. Thomas Ouellet, S.J., rector 1852-
- 11. Rev. Robert Fulton, S.J.(1826–1895), rector November 1, 1880-
- 13. Rev. Neil McKinnon, S.J., rector July 31, 1893-1907 (Parish rededicated on December 11, 1898 with new upper church dedicated to St. Ignatius Loyola and the lower church dedicated to St. Lawrence O'Toole.)
- Cowles Havens Richards, S.J., rector 1915-1919
- James J. Kilrowy, S.J., rector 1919-1924
- Patrick F. O'Gorman, S.J., rector 1924-1929
- Edward J. Sweeney, S.J., rector 1930-1933
- William J. Devlin, S.J., rector 1933-1935
- W. Coleman Nevils, S.J., rector 1935-1940
- Francis A. McQuade, S.J., rector 1940-1945
- John Edwards Gratton, S.J., rector 1945-1949
- C. Justin Hanley, S.J., rector 1949-1952
- Robert I. Gannon, S.J., rector 1952-1958
- John J. McGinty, S.J., rector 1958-1960
- William T. Wood, S.J., rector 1960-1966
- Charles T. Taylor, S.J., rector 1966-1970
- Robert Haskins, S.J., rector 1970-1975
- John Kelly, S.J., rector 1975-1981