Saint Clement's Church, Philadelphia
Encyclopedia
Saint Clement's Church is an historic Anglo-Catholic parish located at 2013 Appletree Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, in the United States
and is part of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania
. On November 20, 1970, Saint Clement's Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
, the third Bishop of Pennsylvania. Construction of the church building, which was designed by noted Philadelphia architect John Notman
, was completed in 1859, and the church was first used for services in 1859. The church was subsequently consecrated by Bishop Potter on April 12, 1864.
Saint Clement’s was not originally founded as an Anglo-Catholic parish. Instead, Saint Clement's was first envisioned as a mainstream (i.e., low church
), neighborhood Episcopal parish to serve the families moving into rapidly developing residential areas surrounding Logan Square
.
It was not until the 1869 arrival of Fr. Hermon Griswold Batterson
, a priest of the Society of the Holy Cross
, that the parish increasingly came to be influenced by the theology of the Oxford Movement
. The catholicization of the parish continued during the tenure of the Society of St. John the Evangelist
, more commonly known as the Cowley Fathers, who were responsible for the parish from 1876 to 1891. In 1895, Saint Clement’s became the first parish in the Diocese of Pennsylvania to institute perpetual reservation
of the Blessed Sacrament
.
and built in Philadelphia between 1847 and 1859. All three of these churches stand within a few blocks of each other. The Church of the Holy Trinity
is on Rittenhouse Square
while Saint Mark’s Church is two blocks from Rittenhouse Square on Locust Street. In accordance with the architectural wisdom of the time, Notman maintained that the Gothic Revival style was best suited towards the liturgical worship of High Church
congregations while Romanesque Revival architecture was better suited for the conventional Low Church
worship of mainstream Episcopal congregations. Unlike Saint Mark’s Church, which was erected for a High Church congregation and built in the Gothic Revival style, Saint Clement’s Church was originally designed for a typical Low Church Episcopal congregation, and like the Church of the Holy Trinity, was designed in the Romanesque Revival style. Like both Saint Mark's Church and the Church of the Holy Trinity, Saint Clement's Church is constructed entirely of brownstone
.
The location and orientation of the site posed a significant problem for the design of the church. The west end of the site, where the main façade
and doors would typically be located, was in the middle of a city block. For Notman, the easy solution would have been to reverse the church, erecting the main entrance on the east side of the lot and the apse
on the west side. However, this would have altered the eastward orientation of the building. Instead, Notman retained the apse on the east side of the church and incorporated it into the main façade.
The main façade is dominated by the bell tower and the assertive semi-circular apse, which features a blind arcade of simple columns and Romanesque arches. The blind arcade is broken at both ends by large stained glass windows. Just north of the apse exists the bell tower
, which was originally topped by an impressive spire
of over 200 feet in height. The weight of the spire was more than the foundation could support, and it was removed from the structure in 1869 in order to prevent damaging the foundation.
The nave of the church is of rectangular floor plan and possesses impressive height. The windows are contained within arched bays in the Romanesque style. Buttresses, topped by gablets with decorative carved reverse Ogee arches, separate each bay. Both the roof of the nave and of the apse are of grey slate. Along the ridge of the nave roof at both the east and west ends exist cupolas of carved brownstone, each surmounted by a carved stone cross.
In the early 20th century, the roof of the apse was raised some fifteen feet with the installation of a clerestory
. This renovation was necessary in order to accommodate the installation of the triptych
that currently stands above the high altar. While the clerestory windows mirror the Romanesque arches of the blind arcade, the elaborate exterior stonework above the clerestory windows incorporates forms found in both Gothic
and Romanesque styles.
In 1929 the City of Philadelphia undertook a project to widen North 20th Street by some forty feet. Saint Clement’s Church was in the middle of the proposed expansion. Facing the prospect of having to demolish the church, the vestry undertook a project to move the church forty feet to the west. Having purchased two additional properties to the rear of the church, the 5,500 ton structure was raised onto steel beams, moved forty feet to the west, and then placed on its newly built foundation.
and triptych
, installed in 1908, which stand above the high altar. The central panel of the triptych depicts Christ on the cross, clothed in the vestment
s of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
, with the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. John the Apostle at the foot of the cross. South of the sanctuary is the Lady Chapel
, which features an altar and reredos of English red stone. The central niche of the reredos contains a statue of the Virgin and Child while the two side niches contain statues of St. Joseph and St. Elizabeth
with St. John the Baptist. Located in the nave, the Shrine of Our Lady of Clemency climbs to a height of some twenty-five feet and features a statue of the Blessed Virgin depicted as Queen of Heaven replete with crown and sceptre. The nave
also contains shrines dedicated to the church's major patron, St. Clement I, pope
from 88-97 AD, and to the church's minor patron, St. Catherine of Alexandria. The church’s four manual, 51 rank pipe organ
is Austin Organ Company Opus 507, which was originally installed in 1914.
, an English language
translation of the Tridentine Mass
as it existed prior to the 1955 liturgical reforms of Pope Pius XII. Low Mass
is offered daily, and High Mass
is offered on Sundays, Holy Days of Obligation, and certain other feasts. On Sunday evenings, Solemn Vespers are sung in Latin
and are immediately followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament
. On the other evenings of the week, Vespers are recited in English. The liturgical calendar in use is the General Roman Calendar as in 1954.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and is part of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania
Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania
The Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America encompassing the counties of Philadelphia, Montgomery, Bucks, Chester and Delaware in the state of Pennsylvania....
. On November 20, 1970, Saint Clement's Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
History
S. Clement's Church received its official charter from the City of Philadelphia on September 13, 1855, and construction of the church building began the following spring after the church's cornerstone was laid on May 12, 1856 by The Right Rev'd Alonzo PotterAlonzo Potter
The Right Reverend Alonzo Potter was an American bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States who served as the third Bishop of Pennsylvania.-Early life:...
, the third Bishop of Pennsylvania. Construction of the church building, which was designed by noted Philadelphia architect John Notman
John Notman
John Notman was a Scottish-born American architect, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is remembered for his churches, and for popularizing the Italianate style and the use of brownstone.-Career:...
, was completed in 1859, and the church was first used for services in 1859. The church was subsequently consecrated by Bishop Potter on April 12, 1864.
Saint Clement’s was not originally founded as an Anglo-Catholic parish. Instead, Saint Clement's was first envisioned as a mainstream (i.e., low church
Low church
Low church is a term of distinction in the Church of England or other Anglican churches initially designed to be pejorative. During the series of doctrinal and ecclesiastic challenges to the established church in the 16th and 17th centuries, commentators and others began to refer to those groups...
), neighborhood Episcopal parish to serve the families moving into rapidly developing residential areas surrounding Logan Square
Logan Square
Logan Square is the name of:* Logan Square, Chicago – community on the north side of the city* Logan Circle or Logan Square – open-space park**Logan Square, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, adjacent neighborhood...
.
It was not until the 1869 arrival of Fr. Hermon Griswold Batterson
Hermon Griswold Batterson
Hermon Griswold Batterson was born in Marbledale, Connecticut. He was ordained to the diaconate on November 17, 1861 by Alexander Gregg and to the priesthood on December 19, 1865 by Henry Benjamin Whipple. Batterson became rector of Saint Clement's Church, Philadelphia in 1869, and served in that...
, a priest of the Society of the Holy Cross
Society of the Holy Cross
The Society of the Holy Cross is an international Anglo-Catholic society of priests with members in the Anglican Communion, the Continuing Anglican Movement and the Roman Catholic Church's Anglican Use...
, that the parish increasingly came to be influenced by the theology of the Oxford Movement
Oxford Movement
The Oxford Movement was a movement of High Church Anglicans, eventually developing into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose members were often associated with the University of Oxford, argued for the reinstatement of lost Christian traditions of faith and their inclusion into Anglican liturgy...
. The catholicization of the parish continued during the tenure of the Society of St. John the Evangelist
Society of St. John the Evangelist
The Society of St John the Evangelist is an Anglican religious order for men. The members live under a rule of life and, at profession, make monastic vows of poverty, celibacy and obedience. The SSJE was founded in 1866 at Cowley, Oxford, England, by the Father Richard Meux Benson, a priest in the...
, more commonly known as the Cowley Fathers, who were responsible for the parish from 1876 to 1891. In 1895, Saint Clement’s became the first parish in the Diocese of Pennsylvania to institute perpetual reservation
Reserved sacrament
During the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the second part of the Mass, the elements of bread and wine are considered, in some branches of Christian practice, to have been transubstantiated into the veritable Body and Blood of Jesus Christ...
of the Blessed Sacrament
Blessed Sacrament
The Blessed Sacrament, or the Body and Blood of Christ, is a devotional name used in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, Old Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches, to refer to the Host after it has been consecrated in the sacrament of the Eucharist...
.
Architecture
Saint Clement’s was the third Episcopal church to be designed by architect John NotmanJohn Notman
John Notman was a Scottish-born American architect, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is remembered for his churches, and for popularizing the Italianate style and the use of brownstone.-Career:...
and built in Philadelphia between 1847 and 1859. All three of these churches stand within a few blocks of each other. The Church of the Holy Trinity
Church of the Holy Trinity, Philadelphia
Church of the Holy Trinity is an Episcopal church on Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The first service in the church building, designed by Scottish architect John Notman, was held on March 27, 1859. The corner tower was added in 1867 and was designed by George W...
is on Rittenhouse Square
Rittenhouse Square
Rittenhouse Square is one of the five original open-space parks planned by William Penn and his surveyor Thomas Holme during the late 17th century in central Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The park cuts off 19th Street at Walnut Street and also at a half block above Manning Street. Its boundaries are...
while Saint Mark’s Church is two blocks from Rittenhouse Square on Locust Street. In accordance with the architectural wisdom of the time, Notman maintained that the Gothic Revival style was best suited towards the liturgical worship of High Church
High church
The term "High Church" refers to beliefs and practices of ecclesiology, liturgy and theology, generally with an emphasis on formality, and resistance to "modernization." Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term has traditionally been principally associated with the...
congregations while Romanesque Revival architecture was better suited for the conventional Low Church
Low church
Low church is a term of distinction in the Church of England or other Anglican churches initially designed to be pejorative. During the series of doctrinal and ecclesiastic challenges to the established church in the 16th and 17th centuries, commentators and others began to refer to those groups...
worship of mainstream Episcopal congregations. Unlike Saint Mark’s Church, which was erected for a High Church congregation and built in the Gothic Revival style, Saint Clement’s Church was originally designed for a typical Low Church Episcopal congregation, and like the Church of the Holy Trinity, was designed in the Romanesque Revival style. Like both Saint Mark's Church and the Church of the Holy Trinity, Saint Clement's Church is constructed entirely of brownstone
Brownstone
Brownstone is a brown Triassic or Jurassic sandstone which was once a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States to refer to a terraced house clad in this material.-Types:-Apostle Island brownstone:...
.
The location and orientation of the site posed a significant problem for the design of the church. The west end of the site, where the main façade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
and doors would typically be located, was in the middle of a city block. For Notman, the easy solution would have been to reverse the church, erecting the main entrance on the east side of the lot and the apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
on the west side. However, this would have altered the eastward orientation of the building. Instead, Notman retained the apse on the east side of the church and incorporated it into the main façade.
The main façade is dominated by the bell tower and the assertive semi-circular apse, which features a blind arcade of simple columns and Romanesque arches. The blind arcade is broken at both ends by large stained glass windows. Just north of the apse exists the bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
, which was originally topped by an impressive spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
of over 200 feet in height. The weight of the spire was more than the foundation could support, and it was removed from the structure in 1869 in order to prevent damaging the foundation.
The nave of the church is of rectangular floor plan and possesses impressive height. The windows are contained within arched bays in the Romanesque style. Buttresses, topped by gablets with decorative carved reverse Ogee arches, separate each bay. Both the roof of the nave and of the apse are of grey slate. Along the ridge of the nave roof at both the east and west ends exist cupolas of carved brownstone, each surmounted by a carved stone cross.
In the early 20th century, the roof of the apse was raised some fifteen feet with the installation of a clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
. This renovation was necessary in order to accommodate the installation of the triptych
Triptych
A triptych , from tri-= "three" + ptysso= "to fold") is a work of art which is divided into three sections, or three carved panels which are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all multi-panel works...
that currently stands above the high altar. While the clerestory windows mirror the Romanesque arches of the blind arcade, the elaborate exterior stonework above the clerestory windows incorporates forms found in both Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
and Romanesque styles.
In 1929 the City of Philadelphia undertook a project to widen North 20th Street by some forty feet. Saint Clement’s Church was in the middle of the proposed expansion. Facing the prospect of having to demolish the church, the vestry undertook a project to move the church forty feet to the west. Having purchased two additional properties to the rear of the church, the 5,500 ton structure was raised onto steel beams, moved forty feet to the west, and then placed on its newly built foundation.
Interior
The interior of the church is dominated by the large carved oak reredosReredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
and triptych
Triptych
A triptych , from tri-= "three" + ptysso= "to fold") is a work of art which is divided into three sections, or three carved panels which are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all multi-panel works...
, installed in 1908, which stand above the high altar. The central panel of the triptych depicts Christ on the cross, clothed in the vestment
Vestment
Vestments are liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christian religion, especially among Latin Rite and other Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, and Lutherans...
s of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
, with the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. John the Apostle at the foot of the cross. South of the sanctuary is the Lady Chapel
Lady chapel
A Lady chapel, also called Mary chapel or Marian chapel, is a traditional English term for a chapel inside a cathedral, basilica, or large church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary...
, which features an altar and reredos of English red stone. The central niche of the reredos contains a statue of the Virgin and Child while the two side niches contain statues of St. Joseph and St. Elizabeth
Elizabeth (Biblical person)
Elizabeth is also spelled Elisabeth or Elisheva...
with St. John the Baptist. Located in the nave, the Shrine of Our Lady of Clemency climbs to a height of some twenty-five feet and features a statue of the Blessed Virgin depicted as Queen of Heaven replete with crown and sceptre. The nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
also contains shrines dedicated to the church's major patron, St. Clement I, pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
from 88-97 AD, and to the church's minor patron, St. Catherine of Alexandria. The church’s four manual, 51 rank pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
is Austin Organ Company Opus 507, which was originally installed in 1914.
Liturgy
As a traditional Anglo-Catholic parish, Saint Clement's primarily makes use of the English MissalEnglish Missal
The English Missal is a translation of the Roman Missal used by some liturgically advanced Anglo-Catholic parish churches. After its publication by W. Knott & Son Limited in 1912, the English Missal was rapidly endorsed by the growing Ritualist movement of Anglo-Catholic clergy, who viewed the...
, an English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
translation of the Tridentine Mass
Tridentine Mass
The Tridentine Mass is the form of the Roman Rite Mass contained in the typical editions of the Roman Missal that were published from 1570 to 1962. It was the most widely celebrated Mass liturgy in the world until the introduction of the Mass of Paul VI in December 1969...
as it existed prior to the 1955 liturgical reforms of Pope Pius XII. Low Mass
Low Mass
Low Mass is a Tridentine Mass defined officially in the Code of Rubrics included in the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal as Mass in which the priest does not chant the parts that the rubrics assign to him...
is offered daily, and High Mass
Solemn Mass
Solemn Mass , sometimes also referred to as Solemn High Mass or simply High Mass, is, when used not merely as a description, the full ceremonial form of the Tridentine Mass, celebrated by a priest with a deacon and a subdeacon, requiring most of the parts of the Mass to be sung, and the use of...
is offered on Sundays, Holy Days of Obligation, and certain other feasts. On Sunday evenings, Solemn Vespers are sung in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and are immediately followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament is a devotional ceremony celebrated within the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church, as well as in some Anglican and Lutheran Churches, Liberal Catholic churches, Western Rite Orthodox churches, and Latinised Eastern Catholic Churches.Benediction of the...
. On the other evenings of the week, Vespers are recited in English. The liturgical calendar in use is the General Roman Calendar as in 1954.
Rectors
- Henry S. Spackman 1856-1863
- Treadwell Walden
- Hermon Griswold BattersonHermon Griswold BattersonHermon Griswold Batterson was born in Marbledale, Connecticut. He was ordained to the diaconate on November 17, 1861 by Alexander Gregg and to the priesthood on December 19, 1865 by Henry Benjamin Whipple. Batterson became rector of Saint Clement's Church, Philadelphia in 1869, and served in that...
1869-1872 - Oliver Sherman Prescott
- Basil W. MaturinBasil W. MaturinBasil William Maturin was an Irish-born Anglican priest, preacher and writer who later became Roman Catholic. He died on board the RMS Lusitania, during the First World War....
- George Moffett 1895-1904
- Charles S. Hutchinson 1905-1920
- Franklin Joiner 1920-1955
- William Elwell 1955-1964
- Edward Oscar Hendricks 1965-1978
- Francis FitzHugh, SSC 1979-1984
- Peter LaisterPeter LaisterPeter Laister was a prominent Anglo-Catholic priest in the twentieth century.Laister trained for ordination at Saint David's Theological College, Lampeter, Wales and at St. Stephen's House, Oxford. He began his ministry as a curate in the Diocese of Chelmsford, 1956-60...
1986-1993 - Barry E.B. Swain 1993-2001
- W. Gordon Reid 2004-present