St. Jean Baptiste Church and Rectory
Encyclopedia
St. Jean Baptiste Catholic Church, also known as the Église St-Jean-Baptiste, is a Roman Catholic parish church in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
, located at 76th Street at Lexington Avenue
, Upper East Side
, Manhattan
, New York City
. It was established in 1882 to serve the area's French Canadian
immigrant
population and remained the French-Canadian National Parish until 1957. It has been staffed by the Fathers of the Blessed Sacrament since 1900.
Financier Thomas Fortune Ryan
, a Catholic convert in his teens, bankrolled its construction. The Italian architect practicing in New York Nicholas Serracino
, who combined elements of the Italian Renaissance Revival and Classical Revival
architectural styles, won won first prize for the design at the Esposizione Internazionale delle Industrie e del Lavore in Turin, in 1911. It is his only surviving church in the city.
It is one of the few Catholic churches in New York City
with a dome, and only one of two — the other being St. Patrick's Cathedral
— with stained glass windows from the glass studios of Chartres
. The building was designated a city landmark
in 1969. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1980 along with its rectory
. In the late 20th century the interior and exterior were both restored.
Started in 1882 in a rented hall above a stable
, the congregation has been through three buildings at two locations. St. Jean Baptiste High School
was started on the grounds as an elementary school
by nuns of the Congregation of Notre Dame
in 1886. In the late 19th century an exposure by a visiting priest of a relic
of St. Anne
intended for one night, grew into a three-week event during which many miracle
cures were alleged by thousands of pilgrim
s who crowded the church; as a result the church now has its own shrine to the saint, which led to a failed effort to get it designated a basilica
. In 1900 it passed from the control of the founding Fathers of Mercy
to the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament
, who introduced Eucharistic adoration
as a worship style.
, with the rectory on the south side, facing East 75th Street. The area is densely developed. St. Jean Baptiste High School
, run by the church, is on the other side of 75th Street. Lenox Hill Hospital
is nearby.
. Its west (front) facade
is rich in ornament
. The main entrance is located in a pediment
ed portico
with full entablature
on a high plinth
supported by four Corinthian
columns. This design is echoed with smaller pediments on each of the side entrances above carved festoon
and scroll motifs.
Above a broad cornice
, twin bell tower
s rise to a total height of 150 feet (45.7 m) at the corners. Their lower stages with canted corners have round-arched openings framed by pilaster
s. Above them an open circle of Corinthian columns supports a ribbed dome, topped by a smaller version of the top with a cross. These are echoes of the larger dome in the middle of the church that rises to 172 feet (52.4 m). Between the two towers, on the parapet
, a statue of angels supporting a globe echoes the pediment below. The gabled, gently pitched roofs are sheathed in copper.
On either side of the front facade, projecting entrance bays
with windows are topped with a statue of an angel blowing a trumpet. The side elevations, of which only the north is visible from the street, have high round-arched windows and continue the cornice at the roofline. Pediments similar to those on the front grace the second story above the windows on either end of the transept
.
is separated from the vaulted aisles by an arcade
of tall Corinthian columns; the vault springs from the entablature. All the vaults, ribs and arches are richly decorated with Florentine-style relief
s. The column capitals
and fluting
are also gilded. The center of the nave vault has trompe-l'œil paintings of the heavens; an elaborate Florentine-style floral pattern decorates the interior of the dome.
Against the apse
triforium
on the east wall of the church stands the high altar with a mosaic
half-dome
, statues, and smaller bas-relief sculptures. The shrine of St. Anne is located here. A six-foot-tall (2 m) monstrance
, for showing the Eucharistic bread to believers for prayer and contemplation, crowns the altar. Smaller baldachins shelter the smaller altars on the sides. To the left is an altar to Mary
of Carrara marble; to the right is a similar one honoring St. Joseph
. At the transept
corners are smaller altars to Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament founder St. Peter Julian Eymard
, with a relic in a case below; the other corner's altar is to St. Anthony of Padua
. The walls and ceilings are otherwise decorated with paintings in the Baroque
style.
The stained glass windows and high altar were brought to New York from Chartres, France and Italy, respectively, following World War I
. On three levels, from the dome to the nave
, the windows portray the Twelve Apostles, scenes from the Old Testament which prefigure the Christian sacrament of the Eucharist, and events in the life and ministry of Jesus, including the Last Supper
and the institution of the Eucharist and the Easter appearance of Christ to the disciples at Emmaus
. The high altar is 50 feet (15.2 m) tall. A team of artisans accompanied the various pieces of the altar from Italy and reassembled it in the sanctuary.
Under the dome is the altar table, made of white marble. At the center of the frontal is a Christogram
, IHS, from the first three letters of Jesus (IHΣOYΣ) in Greek. The pews, choir stalls, and confessionals are of oak and are elaborately carved. Eucharistic images, especially wheat shocks and clusters of grapes, are prominent throughout the building.
A restoration of the interior was completed in November 1998.
of 1170 Broadway for $80,000. The rectory is also an Italian Renaissance-style palazzo
. Five stories high, it is faced in white brick with granite
steps leading down to 76th Street. The seven-bay
north (front) facade
features limestone voussoir
s crowning each window. The end bays project slightly and are set off with large pilasters. The ground floor is rusticated
. Limestone string courses
are above the second and fourth stories, with a plain entablature and overhanging cornice at the roofline. There have been few alterations to the exterior. The interior, by contrast, has been extensively remodeled over time. Only the oak woodwork remains from the original building.
The Most Rev. Pat. J. Hayes had a four-storey brick school with a tile roof at 163-173 East 75th built in 1925 to designs by Robert J. Reiley
of 50 East 41st Street for $300,000. A five-storey brick brothers apartment building at 194 East 76th Steet, was built in 1930 to designs by Robert J. Reiley
of 50 East 41st Street for $70,000 to 90,000. A five-storey brick sisters apartment house at 163-175 East 75th Street and 170-198 East 76th Street and 1061-1071 Lexington Avenue was built in 1931 to designs by Robert J. Reiley
of 50 East 41st Street for $125,000.
. Most were Huguenot
s, Protestant refugees from the French Revolution
, but there were some Catholics. In 1841, Bishop de Forbin-Janson
, on a missionary tour to the United States for the Fathers of Mercy
, lamented that French-American Catholics in New York City had not been as devoted to raising churches in their national customs as Irish and Italian
immigrants had. The community responded to this challenge, and accordingly the first Church of St. Vincent de Paul was opened the next year on Canal Street
.
That church grew, and moved north to 23rd Street
in 1868. A French Canadian immigrant community
had begun to flourish in Yorkville
at that time, and found it trying to make the trip downtown for services. A missionary
to this community found that services closer to home would be beneficial, similar to those the Jesuits at what is now St. Ignatius Loyola
had organized for Yorkville's Germans
. The order's provincial
gave his support for the establishment of a national parish
, and a meeting of the immigrants' St. Jean Societé in 1881 raised $12 ($ in contemporary dollars) to that end. This is considered the beginning of the church's history.
A chapel was established in a rented hall above a stable
on East 77th Street. The constant noise from the horses downstairs earned the chapel the nickname "Crib of Bethlehem
" from congregants. A few months later, Cardinal
John McCloskey, Archbishop of the Diocese of New York
and the first American cardinal, granted permission to build a church, formalizing the parish. The new parish was able to raise $14,000 ($ in contemporary dollars) to buy a property on the north side of East 76th Street in 1882. By the end of the year Coadjutor Archbishop (later full Archbishop) Michael Corrigan
had blessed the new building's cornerstone
.
Napoleon LeBrun
's design called for a simple Gothic Revival church building, 100 feet (30.5 m) long by 40 feet (12.2 m) wide, with room for 600. Its projected cost was $20,000 ($ in contemporary dollars) but it soon ran into difficulties when problems with using the "crib of Bethlehem" forced the use of the unfinished church's basement during Lent
in 1883. Archbishop Corrigan had to take title
to the church to save it.
, founded in colonial Montreal
in the mid-17th century, came to establish an elementary school.
In 1892, the church inadvertently became a shrine
of St. Anne
. A Canadian priest, Father J.C. Marquis, dropped in at the rectory unexpectedly on May 1, needing a place to stay while he carried a relic
of the saint that Pope Leo XIII
had given him back to Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Quebec
. The pastor
at the time asked him to expose it to the parishioners during vespers
that evening. Marquis did so, as he would continue to Quebec the next day.
News that the relic would be exposed soon reached the community, and a large crowd showed up for evening services. When a young man having an epileptic
fit was touched by it, his convulsion
s ceased. That apparent miracle
was widely reported and even more crowds showed up, many expecting cures. The pastor asked Marquis to stay for a few more days with the relic to satisfy the many pilgrim
s.
His stay would be extended to three weeks as thousands of pilgrims came. As he finally left on May 20, crowds bade the relic farewell and asked that she return again for good next time. Father Marquis was so impressed that he promised to obtain a relic for St. Jean. With the permission of Cardinal Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau
, he divided the relic once he had reached Sainte-Anne and returned to New York with it in July. More crowds came, more miracles were reported, and Marquis reported favorably on this to the pope. As a result he was able to make a return trip to the shrine of St. Anne in Apt
, France, and brought a relic back specifically for St. Jean Baptiste.
(SSS), an international religious order of priests, brothers, and deacons founded by St. Peter Julian Eymard in Paris in 1856, to New York. They were unable to find a center for their work, but often attended Mass and resided at the St. Jean Baptiste rectory. One day, the pastor joked to the Blessed Sacrament priests that if they could not find a church, he'd just have to give them his. That remark got back to Archbishop Corrigan, who informed St. Jean Baptiste's pastor the very next day that he was putting St. Jean Baptiste under the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament's control. Throughout the rest of the year the interior of the LeBrun church was altered to be more in keeping with the Congregation's Eucharistic
style of worship.
The continuous exposure of the Sacrament, and the availability of daily confession
s and early Mass at what was known as "Old St. Jean's" led to another increase in the size of the congregation. Corrigan had said at the first Mass that he expected the church would soon be outgrown and a new one built more worthy of Christ. During one Mass, financier and philanthropist Thomas Fortune Ryan
, a Virginian who converted to Catholicism
as a young man and who, with his wife Ida Barry Ryan, supported the construction of churches, schools, and other charitable institutions along the Eastern Seaboard, arrived late and had to stand. He preferred St. Jean to the larger churches closer to his Fifth Avenue mansion, and often attended services there. He heard Father Arthur Letellier, the new pastor, ask the congregation's prayers for a new church, and afterwards asked how much one would cost. "About $300,000" ($ in contemporary dollars) he was told. "Very well", he replied. "Have your plans made and I will pay for the church".
At first Ryan had wanted a church similar in size to the existing one, but Letellier persuaded him it was time for a church with room for 1,200 people, twice the LeBrun church's capacity. Italian architect Nicholas Serracino
, who had been living in New York for the decade, won the commission. He produced a model of a grand Renaissance Revival church with a dome and classically
inspired front facade
. His design reflected Catholics' search for a unique architectural style for their churches, since the Gothic Revival and neo-Gothic designs had become associated with Protestant churches. In 1911 Serracino's renderings
of the unfinished church won first prize at the International Exhibition in Turin
.
Ryan was initially skeptical of the dome, but when he saw how it won praise on a model of Serracino's design he authorized the additional $43,000 ($ in contemporary dollars) for it. This would not be the only cost overrun
. Serracino underestimated the costs of local labor and materials. Bedrock
was 25 feet (7.6 m) deeper than originally believed because of the marshes filled
in when the area was originally developed in the mid-19th century. The cost of the foundation
increased eightfold as a result, and plans to gild
the dome and finish the interior with marble
had to be canceled. The widening of Lexington Avenue also forced Serracino to scale back his original plans for a grand triumphal arch
portico
with full-width steps. Ryan continued to provide funds for a final total cost of $600,000 ($ in contemporary dollars).
The rectory, also designed by Serracino, was built and opened in 1911. The lower church in the basement was finished and consecrated
in 1913 by Camillus Paul Maes
, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington
, who had been the Congregation's strongest supporter in the U.S. Early in the following year, he attended the first Mass celebrated in the upper church, even before the walls and ceilings were finished, by Father Letellier. Cardinal John Murphy Farley, the archbishop, spoke at the end of the service and read a congratulatory telegram from Pope Pius X.
. The first occasion was the night of November 30, 1918, when police
pursued a man named Charles George into the church following a carjacking
. The police and George had been exchanging gunfire, and it continued as he ran up the stairs into the choir. When he ran out of ammunition, he surrendered. Several women who had been praying in the church at the time had be treated for hysteria
. Almost a year later, on November 29, 1919, Cecilia Simon, a maid
at an East 56th Street home, was arrested in the church when she knocked statuary and a candelabra
valued at $3,000 ($ in contemporary dollars) onto the floor and shattering them after a funeral service. She was taken to Bellevue Hospital for observation. While apparently a devout enough Catholic to be a daily communicant, she was not a member of the church. At services there the previous Sunday, investigators found that in a collection envelope she had placed a note registering her objection to the arrangement on the altar. A coworker said that she had been acting strangely all week and had said she was going to "do some good work" at church that day.
In 1920 Mayor John Francis Hylan and Governor Al Smith
were among the 100,000 Catholics who signed a petition
to the new pope, Benedict XV, to designate St. Jean Baptiste a basilica
. It failed. Later in the decade the church's interior decoration was gradually installed and finished. Ryan's funeral was held in the church he had paid so much to build in 1928. In 1929 the sisters of Notre Dame opened a high school to go with the elementary school they had been running for almost 40 years.
The interior of the church was modified slightly in the 1950s during renovations. The Requiem Mass for Ryan's grandson Clendenin J. Ryan
, publisher of The American Mercury
, was held there in 1957 after his suicide. In the 1960s, following Vatican II, the church began to change, as much due to the changing demographics of its parish as the council. It stopped celebrating Mass in French, and the elementary school was closed nearly ninety years after its founding. In 1969 the city made the church one of its first designated landmarks. The next year crime once again intruded into the church when an elderly woman was stabbed on a staircase within by three youths.
of the exterior over the next year, part of a $6 million campaign that began in 1987. Work on the stained glass windows proved particularly challenging because the original installers had forced them into spaces too small for them, making them hard to remove. It was necessary to hire more than the usual number of restorers, work overtime
and locate the workshop in the dome rather than offsite in order to meet the church's fall 1997 deadlines. For several months during that time services were held in a nearby school auditorium.
It was financed by the sale of land and air rights
over a building formerly used as a convent
by the sisters of Notre Dame, who subsequently moved into the upper floors of the rectory. A developer built The Siena, a 73-unit, 31-story luxury condominium
tower, on the site. It has been praised by a group of architects including Robert A.M. Stern for complementing the architecture of the adjacent rectory by echoing the church's bell towers and offering "rich sculptural form and lively surface patterning ... to a neighborhood burdened by so many uninspired blocklike apartment buildings"
In 2002, a longtime parishioner, Maryanne Macaluso, alleged that the new pastor, Father Mario Marzocchi, had groped
and propositioned her after offering her a secretarial position. After she complained to another priest and took paid leave due to the stress of having to see Father Mazocchi every day, the order had him evaluated by a psychologist who found nothing wrong with him, and then transferred him to a parish in Florida. When she returned to work, she claims the church retaliated against her by cutting her work hours from full-time to part-time after several weeks and giving duties she normally performed to others. When she asked the replacement pastor, Father Anthony Schueller, for full-time work, he informed her that the church could not afford to do so and she requested a letter of termination, putting her in danger of being evicted
from her apartment.
After the state denied her unemployment claim on the grounds that she had left work voluntarily, Macaluso filed suit against the church, the order, the Archdiocese of New York
, Cardinal Edward Egan, and Father Marzocchi. She alleged negligent hiring and hostile environment sexual harassment
. In 2007 Judge Louis York of the New York Supreme Court
dismissed her claims, without ruling on the facts, against all but Father Marzocchi, who had not responded.
. The Eucharist
is exposed for prayer and contemplation at all other times. Confession
is available for a half-hour daily and twice on Saturdays. The Liturgy of the Hours
is observed twice daily and once on Sundays. Devotions
to St. Anne are observed twice on Tuesday with an annual novena
observed leading up to her July 26 feast day, to the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament's founder St. Peter Julien Eymard after Thursday's Masses, and to the Sacred Heart of Jesus after Friday evening Mass. The Rosary
is prayed at noon Monday through Saturday.
The church's musical ministry is led by its organist
, who also directs two choirs, one of volunteers and the other professionals. A thrift shop is run in the basement, next to the community center. A toddler play group and senior group are held there at different times of the week. Also in the basement is the Kathryn Martin Theater, which has hosted a number of musical performances, both church- and non-church-related.
In the broader community, the church, in conjunction with the sisters of Notre Dame, continues to operate St. Jean Baptiste High School
for girls. The congregation is a member of the Yorkville Common Pantry and the Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter. The community center is also available for rent to individuals and organizations.
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...
, located at 76th Street at Lexington Avenue
Lexington Avenue (Manhattan)
Lexington Avenue, often colloquially abbreviated by New Yorkers as "Lex," is an avenue on the East Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City that carries southbound one-way traffic from East 131st Street to Gramercy Park at East 21st Street...
, 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...
, 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...
. It was established in 1882 to serve the area's French Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
immigrant
Immigration to the United States
Immigration to the United States has been a major source of population growth and cultural change throughout much of the history of the United States. The economic, social, and political aspects of immigration have caused controversy regarding ethnicity, economic benefits, jobs for non-immigrants,...
population and remained the French-Canadian National Parish until 1957. It has been staffed by the Fathers of the Blessed Sacrament since 1900.
Financier Thomas Fortune Ryan
Thomas Fortune Ryan
Thomas Fortune Ryan was a U.S. tobacco and transport magnate. Part of his fortune paid for the construction of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Richmond, Virginia.-Early days:...
, a Catholic convert in his teens, bankrolled its construction. The Italian architect practicing in New York Nicholas Serracino
Nicholas Serracino
Nicholas Serracino, AIA, was an American architect active in late-nineteenth- and early twentieth-century New York City. His office was located at 1170 Broadway, New York City, and was principally noted for his designs of churches and parish schools for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York.He...
, who combined elements of the Italian Renaissance Revival and Classical Revival
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
architectural styles, won won first prize for the design at the Esposizione Internazionale delle Industrie e del Lavore in Turin, in 1911. It is his only surviving church in the city.
It is one of the few Catholic churches in 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...
with a dome, and only one of two — the other being St. Patrick's Cathedral
St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York
The Cathedral of St. Patrick is a decorated Neo-Gothic-style Roman Catholic cathedral church in the United States...
— with stained glass windows from the glass studios of Chartres
Chartres
Chartres is a commune and capital of the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. It is located southwest of Paris.-Geography:Chartres is built on the left bank of the Eure River, on a hill crowned by its famous cathedral, the spires of which are a landmark in the surrounding country...
. The building was designated a city landmark
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The Commission was created in April 1965 by Mayor Robert F. Wagner following the destruction of Pennsylvania Station the previous year to make way for...
in 1969. It 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...
in 1980 along with its rectory
Rectory
A rectory is the residence, or former residence, of a rector, most often a Christian cleric, but in some cases an academic rector or other person with that title...
. In the late 20th century the interior and exterior were both restored.
Started in 1882 in a rented hall above a stable
Stable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals...
, the congregation has been through three buildings at two locations. St. Jean Baptiste High School
St. Jean Baptiste High School
St. Jean Baptiste High School is an all-girls, private, Roman Catholic high school located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It is located within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York.-External links:*...
was started on the grounds as an elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
by nuns of the Congregation of Notre Dame
Congregation of Notre Dame
The Congregation of Notre Dame was founded in 1653 by Marguerite Bourgeoys in Montreal, Canada. This was one of the first non-cloistered communities. The community's motherhouse has continued to be based in Montreal...
in 1886. In the late 19th century an exposure by a visiting priest of a relic
Relic
In religion, a relic is a part of the body of a saint or a venerated person, or else another type of ancient religious object, carefully preserved for purposes of veneration or as a tangible memorial...
of St. Anne
Saint Anne
Saint Hanna of David's house and line, was the mother of the Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus Christ according to Christian and Islamic tradition. English Anne is derived from Greek rendering of her Hebrew name Hannah...
intended for one night, grew into a three-week event during which many miracle
Miracle
A miracle often denotes an event attributed to divine intervention. Alternatively, it may be an event attributed to a miracle worker, saint, or religious leader. A miracle is sometimes thought of as a perceptible interruption of the laws of nature. Others suggest that a god may work with the laws...
cures were alleged by thousands of pilgrim
Pilgrim
A pilgrim is a traveler who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journeying to some place of special significance to the adherent of a particular religious belief system...
s who crowded the church; as a result the church now has its own shrine to the saint, which led to a failed effort to get it designated a basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
. In 1900 it passed from the control of the founding Fathers of Mercy
Fathers of Mercy
The Fathers of Mercy is a Catholic religious order of missionary priests, founded by the Very Rev. Jean-Baptiste Rauzan in early 19th century France.-Foundation:...
to the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament
Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament
The Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament is a Catholic religious congregation of priests, deacons, and Brothers whose ideal of life is to become living witnesses of the Eucharist, the source and summit of Christian life. By their life and activities, they assist the Church in her efforts to form...
, who introduced Eucharistic adoration
Eucharistic adoration
Eucharistic adoration is a practice in the Roman Catholic Church, and in a few Anglican and Lutheran churches, in which the Blessed Sacrament is exposed to and adored by the faithful....
as a worship style.
Property
The church is located on the east side of Lexington at 76th Street. The building takes up most of the 20000 square feet (1,858.1 m²) lotLot (real estate)
In real estate, a lot or plot is a tract or parcel of land owned or meant to be owned by some owner. A lot is essentially considered a parcel of real property in some countries or immovable property in other countries...
, with the rectory on the south side, facing East 75th Street. The area is densely developed. St. Jean Baptiste High School
St. Jean Baptiste High School
St. Jean Baptiste High School is an all-girls, private, Roman Catholic high school located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It is located within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York.-External links:*...
, run by the church, is on the other side of 75th Street. Lenox Hill Hospital
Lenox Hill Hospital
Lenox Hill Hospital, on Manhattan's Upper East Side in New York City, is a 652-bed, acute care hospital and a major teaching affiliate of New York University Medical Center. Founded in 1857 as the German Dispensary, today's 10-building Lenox Hill Hospital complex has occupied its present site since...
is nearby.
Exterior
The building, which opened in the spring of 1913, is faced in limestoneLimestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
. Its west (front) facade
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"....
is rich in ornament
Ornament (architecture)
In architecture and decorative art, ornament is a decoration used to embellish parts of a building or object. Large figurative elements such as monumental sculpture and their equivalents in decorative art are excluded from the term; most ornament does not include human figures, and if present they...
. The main entrance is located in a pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
ed portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
with full entablature
Entablature
An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave , the frieze ,...
on a high plinth
Plinth
In architecture, a plinth is the base or platform upon which a column, pedestal, statue, monument or structure rests. Gottfried Semper's The Four Elements of Architecture posited that the plinth, the hearth, the roof, and the wall make up all of architectural theory. The plinth usually rests...
supported by four Corinthian
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
columns. This design is echoed with smaller pediments on each of the side entrances above carved festoon
Festoon
Festoon , a wreath or garland, and so in architecture a conventional arrangement of flowers, foliage or fruit bound together and suspended by ribbons, either from a decorated knot, or held in the mouths of lions, or suspended across the back of bulls heads as...
and scroll motifs.
Above a broad cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
, twin 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...
s rise to a total height of 150 feet (45.7 m) at the corners. Their lower stages with canted corners have round-arched openings framed by pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s. Above them an open circle of Corinthian columns supports a ribbed dome, topped by a smaller version of the top with a cross. These are echoes of the larger dome in the middle of the church that rises to 172 feet (52.4 m). Between the two towers, on the parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
, a statue of angels supporting a globe echoes the pediment below. The gabled, gently pitched roofs are sheathed in copper.
On either side of the front facade, projecting entrance bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
with windows are topped with a statue of an angel blowing a trumpet. The side elevations, of which only the north is visible from the street, have high round-arched windows and continue the cornice at the roofline. Pediments similar to those on the front grace the second story above the windows on either end of the transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
.
Interior
Inside, the barrel-vaulted naveNave
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...
is separated from the vaulted aisles by an arcade
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
of tall Corinthian columns; the vault springs from the entablature. All the vaults, ribs and arches are richly decorated with Florentine-style relief
Relief
Relief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane...
s. The column capitals
Capital (architecture)
In architecture the capital forms the topmost member of a column . It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface...
and fluting
Fluting (architecture)
Fluting in architecture refers to the shallow grooves running vertically along a surface.It typically refers to the grooves running on a column shaft or a pilaster, but need not necessarily be restricted to those two applications...
are also gilded. The center of the nave vault has trompe-l'œil paintings of the heavens; an elaborate Florentine-style floral pattern decorates the interior of the dome.
Against the apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
triforium
Triforium
A triforium is a shallow arched gallery within the thickness of inner wall, which stands above the nave of a church or cathedral. It may occur at the level of the clerestory windows, or it may be located as a separate level below the clerestory. It may itself have an outer wall of glass rather than...
on the east wall of the church stands the high altar with a mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
half-dome
Baldachin
A baldachin, or baldaquin , is a canopy of state over an altar or throne. It had its beginnings as a cloth canopy, but in other cases it is a sturdy, permanent architectural feature, particularly over high altars in cathedrals, where such a structure is more correctly called a ciborium when it is...
, statues, and smaller bas-relief sculptures. The shrine of St. Anne is located here. A six-foot-tall (2 m) monstrance
Monstrance
A monstrance is the vessel used in the Roman Catholic, Old Catholic, and Anglican churches to display the consecrated Eucharistic host, during Eucharistic adoration or Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Created in the medieval period for the public display of relics, the monstrance today is...
, for showing the Eucharistic bread to believers for prayer and contemplation, crowns the altar. Smaller baldachins shelter the smaller altars on the sides. To the left is an altar to Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
of Carrara marble; to the right is a similar one honoring St. Joseph
Saint Joseph
Saint Joseph is a figure in the Gospels, the husband of the Virgin Mary and the earthly father of Jesus Christ ....
. At the transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
corners are smaller altars to Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament founder St. Peter Julian Eymard
Peter Julian Eymard
Saint Peter Julian Eymard was a French Catholic priest, founder of two religious orders, and a canonized saint....
, with a relic in a case below; the other corner's altar is to St. Anthony of Padua
Anthony of Padua
Anthony of Padua or Anthony of Lisbon, O.F.M., was a Portuguese Catholic priest and friar of the Franciscan Order. Though he died in Padua, Italy, he was born to a wealthy family in Lisbon, Portugal, which is where he was raised...
. The walls and ceilings are otherwise decorated with paintings in the Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
style.
The stained glass windows and high altar were brought to New York from Chartres, France and Italy, respectively, following World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. On three levels, from the dome to 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...
, the windows portray the Twelve Apostles, scenes from the Old Testament which prefigure the Christian sacrament of the Eucharist, and events in the life and ministry of Jesus, including the Last Supper
Last Supper
The Last Supper is the final meal that, according to Christian belief, Jesus shared with his Twelve Apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The Last Supper provides the scriptural basis for the Eucharist, also known as "communion" or "the Lord's Supper".The First Epistle to the Corinthians is...
and the institution of the Eucharist and the Easter appearance of Christ to the disciples at Emmaus
Emmaus
Emmaus was an ancient town located approximately northwest of present day Jerusalem...
. The high altar is 50 feet (15.2 m) tall. A team of artisans accompanied the various pieces of the altar from Italy and reassembled it in the sanctuary.
Under the dome is the altar table, made of white marble. At the center of the frontal is a Christogram
Christogram
A Christogram is a monogram or combination of letters that forms an abbreviation for the name of Jesus Christ, traditionally used as a Christian symbol. Different types of Christograms are associated with the various traditions of Christianity, e.g...
, IHS, from the first three letters of Jesus (IHΣOYΣ) in Greek. The pews, choir stalls, and confessionals are of oak and are elaborately carved. Eucharistic images, especially wheat shocks and clusters of grapes, are prominent throughout the building.
A restoration of the interior was completed in November 1998.
Associated structures
The Rev. A. Letellier, rector, had a five-storey brick and stone rectory at 170-190 East 76th Street and 1067 Lexington Avenue built in 1911 to designs by Nicholas SerracinoNicholas Serracino
Nicholas Serracino, AIA, was an American architect active in late-nineteenth- and early twentieth-century New York City. His office was located at 1170 Broadway, New York City, and was principally noted for his designs of churches and parish schools for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York.He...
of 1170 Broadway for $80,000. The rectory is also an Italian Renaissance-style palazzo
Palazzo
Palazzo, an Italian word meaning a large building , may refer to:-Buildings:*Palazzo, an Italian type of building**Palazzo style architecture, imitative of Italian palazzi...
. Five stories high, it is faced in white brick with granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
steps leading down to 76th Street. The seven-bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
north (front) facade
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"....
features limestone voussoir
Voussoir
A voussoir is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, used in building an arch or vault.Although each unit in an arch or vault is a voussoir, two units are of distinct functional importance: the keystone and the springer. The keystone is the center stone or masonry unit at the apex of an arch. A...
s crowning each window. The end bays project slightly and are set off with large pilasters. The ground floor is rusticated
Rustication (architecture)
thumb|upright|Two different styles of rustication in the [[Palazzo Medici-Riccardi]] in [[Florence]].In classical architecture rustication is an architectural feature that contrasts in texture with the smoothly finished, squared block masonry surfaces called ashlar...
. Limestone string courses
Course (architecture)
A course is a continuous horizontal layer of similarly-sized building material one unit high, usually in a wall. The term is almost always used in conjunction with unit masonry such as brick, cut stone, or concrete masonry units .-Styles:...
are above the second and fourth stories, with a plain entablature and overhanging cornice at the roofline. There have been few alterations to the exterior. The interior, by contrast, has been extensively remodeled over time. Only the oak woodwork remains from the original building.
The Most Rev. Pat. J. Hayes had a four-storey brick school with a tile roof at 163-173 East 75th built in 1925 to designs by Robert J. Reiley
Robert J. Reiley
Robert J. Reiley, AIA, was an American architect practicing in New York City in the early and mid twentieth century. He was particularly known as a designer of Roman Catholic churches, schools, and hospitals in the Northeast USA....
of 50 East 41st Street for $300,000. A five-storey brick brothers apartment building at 194 East 76th Steet, was built in 1930 to designs by Robert J. Reiley
Robert J. Reiley
Robert J. Reiley, AIA, was an American architect practicing in New York City in the early and mid twentieth century. He was particularly known as a designer of Roman Catholic churches, schools, and hospitals in the Northeast USA....
of 50 East 41st Street for $70,000 to 90,000. A five-storey brick sisters apartment house at 163-175 East 75th Street and 170-198 East 76th Street and 1061-1071 Lexington Avenue was built in 1931 to designs by Robert J. Reiley
Robert J. Reiley
Robert J. Reiley, AIA, was an American architect practicing in New York City in the early and mid twentieth century. He was particularly known as a designer of Roman Catholic churches, schools, and hospitals in the Northeast USA....
of 50 East 41st Street for $125,000.
History
From its origins in a rented hall above a stable with an almost exclusively French Canadian congregation, St. Jean Baptiste has grown to be one of New York's most distinctive Catholic churches. It has been through thre buildings in two locations and under the care of two different orders of priests.1841–82: Establishment of parish
In the early 19th century, one in every nine New Yorkers was of French descentFrench American
French Americans or Franco-Americans are Americans of French or French Canadian descent. About 11.8 million U.S. residents are of this descent, and about 1.6 million speak French at home.An additional 450,000 U.S...
. Most were Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
s, Protestant refugees from the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, but there were some Catholics. In 1841, Bishop de Forbin-Janson
Charles Auguste Marie Joseph, Comte de Forbin-Janson
Charles-Auguste-Marie-Joseph, Count of Forbin-Janson was a French Bishop of Nancy and Toul, and founder of the Association of the Holy Childhood....
, on a missionary tour to the United States for the Fathers of Mercy
Fathers of Mercy
The Fathers of Mercy is a Catholic religious order of missionary priests, founded by the Very Rev. Jean-Baptiste Rauzan in early 19th century France.-Foundation:...
, lamented that French-American Catholics in New York City had not been as devoted to raising churches in their national customs as Irish and Italian
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
immigrants had. The community responded to this challenge, and accordingly the first Church of St. Vincent de Paul was opened the next year on Canal Street
Canal Street (Manhattan)
Canal Street is a major street in New York City, crossing lower Manhattan to join New Jersey in the west to Brooklyn in the east . It forms the main spine of Chinatown, and separates it from Little Italy...
.
That church grew, and moved north to 23rd Street
23rd Street (Manhattan)
23rd Street is a broad thoroughfare in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is one of few two-way streets in the gridiron of the borough. As with Manhattan's other "crosstown" streets, it is divided at Fifth Avenue, in this case at Madison Square Park, into its east and west sections. Since...
in 1868. A French Canadian immigrant community
Quebec diaspora
The Quebec diaspora consists of Quebec emigrants and their descendants dispersed over the North American continent and historically concentrated in the New England region of the United States, Ontario, and the Canadian Prairies...
had begun to flourish in 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...
at that time, and found it trying to make the trip downtown for services. A missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
to this community found that services closer to home would be beneficial, similar to those the Jesuits at what is now St. Ignatius Loyola
Church of St. Ignatius Loyola (New York City)
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 . The parish is under the authority of the Archdiocese of New York and was established in 1851 as St. Lawrence O’Toole’s Church....
had organized for Yorkville's Germans
German American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
. The order's provincial
Provincial superior
A Provincial Superior is a major superior of a religious order acting under the order's Superior General and exercising a general supervision over all the members of that order in a territorial division of the order called a province--similar to but not to be confused with an ecclesiastical...
gave his support for the establishment of a national parish
National parish
National parishes are Catholic parishes that serve particular ethnic communities. They are distinguished from the other type of parish, the territorial parish, which serve a geographic area of a diocese. National parishes have existed in Rome for centuries to meet the spiritual needs of the...
, and a meeting of the immigrants' St. Jean Societé in 1881 raised $12 ($ in contemporary dollars) to that end. This is considered the beginning of the church's history.
A chapel was established in a rented hall above a stable
Stable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals...
on East 77th Street. The constant noise from the horses downstairs earned the chapel the nickname "Crib of Bethlehem
Nativity of Jesus
The Nativity of Jesus, or simply The Nativity, refers to the accounts of the birth of Jesus in two of the Canonical gospels and in various apocryphal texts....
" from congregants. A few months later, Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
John McCloskey, Archbishop of the Diocese of New York
Diocese of New York
A diocese is the basic regional unit of many churches. The Diocese of New York may refer to:*Episcopal Diocese of New York*Orthodox Church in America Diocese of New York and New Jersey...
and the first American cardinal, granted permission to build a church, formalizing the parish. The new parish was able to raise $14,000 ($ in contemporary dollars) to buy a property on the north side of East 76th Street in 1882. By the end of the year Coadjutor Archbishop (later full Archbishop) 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:...
had blessed the new building's cornerstone
Cornerstone
The cornerstone concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.Over time a cornerstone became a ceremonial masonry stone, or...
.
Napoleon LeBrun
Napoleon LeBrun
Napoleon Eugene Charles Henry LeBrun was an American architect. LeBrun is best known as the architect of several notable Philadelphia churches, including St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Twentieth Street ; the Seventh Presbyterian Church , the Scots Presbyterian Church , the Church of St...
's design called for a simple Gothic Revival church building, 100 feet (30.5 m) long by 40 feet (12.2 m) wide, with room for 600. Its projected cost was $20,000 ($ in contemporary dollars) but it soon ran into difficulties when problems with using the "crib of Bethlehem" forced the use of the unfinished church's basement during Lent
Lent
In the Christian tradition, Lent is the period of the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer – through prayer, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial – for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and...
in 1883. Archbishop Corrigan had to take title
Title (property)
Title is a legal term for a bundle of rights in a piece of property in which a party may own either a legal interest or an equitable interest. The rights in the bundle may be separated and held by different parties. It may also refer to a formal document that serves as evidence of ownership...
to the church to save it.
1882–1900: First church and St. Anne's shrine
The new church was successful not only with its intended French Canadian community, but with all Catholics on the Upper East Side. Many were servants in the nearby houses of the city's wealthier residents and had to report for their jobs early, thus appreciating a nearby church where they could first attend Mass. In 1886, nuns from the Congregation of Notre DameCongregation of Notre Dame
The Congregation of Notre Dame was founded in 1653 by Marguerite Bourgeoys in Montreal, Canada. This was one of the first non-cloistered communities. The community's motherhouse has continued to be based in Montreal...
, founded in colonial Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
in the mid-17th century, came to establish an elementary school.
In 1892, the church inadvertently became a shrine
Shrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
of St. Anne
Saint Anne
Saint Hanna of David's house and line, was the mother of the Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus Christ according to Christian and Islamic tradition. English Anne is derived from Greek rendering of her Hebrew name Hannah...
. A Canadian priest, Father J.C. Marquis, dropped in at the rectory unexpectedly on May 1, needing a place to stay while he carried a relic
Relic
In religion, a relic is a part of the body of a saint or a venerated person, or else another type of ancient religious object, carefully preserved for purposes of veneration or as a tangible memorial...
of the saint that Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
had given him back to Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Quebec
Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Quebec
Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré is a town in La Côte-de-Beaupré Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada, along the Saint Lawrence River, north-east of the Quebec City. The population was 2,803 according to the Canada 2006 Census...
. The pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
at the time asked him to expose it to the parishioners during vespers
Vespers
Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Western Catholic, Eastern Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran liturgies of the canonical hours...
that evening. Marquis did so, as he would continue to Quebec the next day.
News that the relic would be exposed soon reached the community, and a large crowd showed up for evening services. When a young man having an epileptic
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
fit was touched by it, his convulsion
Convulsion
A convulsion is a medical condition where body muscles contract and relax rapidly and repeatedly, resulting in an uncontrolled shaking of the body. Because a convulsion is often a symptom of an epileptic seizure, the term convulsion is sometimes used as a synonym for seizure...
s ceased. That apparent miracle
Miracle
A miracle often denotes an event attributed to divine intervention. Alternatively, it may be an event attributed to a miracle worker, saint, or religious leader. A miracle is sometimes thought of as a perceptible interruption of the laws of nature. Others suggest that a god may work with the laws...
was widely reported and even more crowds showed up, many expecting cures. The pastor asked Marquis to stay for a few more days with the relic to satisfy the many pilgrim
Pilgrim
A pilgrim is a traveler who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journeying to some place of special significance to the adherent of a particular religious belief system...
s.
His stay would be extended to three weeks as thousands of pilgrims came. As he finally left on May 20, crowds bade the relic farewell and asked that she return again for good next time. Father Marquis was so impressed that he promised to obtain a relic for St. Jean. With the permission of Cardinal Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau
Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau
Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau was a Canadian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Quebec from 1871 until his death in 1898...
, he divided the relic once he had reached Sainte-Anne and returned to New York with it in July. More crowds came, more miracles were reported, and Marquis reported favorably on this to the pope. As a result he was able to make a return trip to the shrine of St. Anne in Apt
APT
- As an acronym :*Arbitrage Pricing Theory*Asia-Pacific Telecommunity*Advanced Persistent Threat*Advanced Passenger Train- Places :* Apt, Vaucluse, a commune of the Vaucluse département of France...
, France, and brought a relic back specifically for St. Jean Baptiste.
1900–18: Change in leadership and new church
In 1900 the efforts of a wealthy local Catholic activist, Eliza Lummis, brought the Congregation of the Blessed SacramentCongregation of the Blessed Sacrament
The Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament is a Catholic religious congregation of priests, deacons, and Brothers whose ideal of life is to become living witnesses of the Eucharist, the source and summit of Christian life. By their life and activities, they assist the Church in her efforts to form...
(SSS), an international religious order of priests, brothers, and deacons founded by St. Peter Julian Eymard in Paris in 1856, to New York. They were unable to find a center for their work, but often attended Mass and resided at the St. Jean Baptiste rectory. One day, the pastor joked to the Blessed Sacrament priests that if they could not find a church, he'd just have to give them his. That remark got back to Archbishop Corrigan, who informed St. Jean Baptiste's pastor the very next day that he was putting St. Jean Baptiste under the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament's control. Throughout the rest of the year the interior of the LeBrun church was altered to be more in keeping with the Congregation's Eucharistic
Eucharistic adoration
Eucharistic adoration is a practice in the Roman Catholic Church, and in a few Anglican and Lutheran churches, in which the Blessed Sacrament is exposed to and adored by the faithful....
style of worship.
The continuous exposure of the Sacrament, and the availability of daily confession
Confession
This article is for the religious practice of confessing one's sins.Confession is the acknowledgment of sin or wrongs...
s and early Mass at what was known as "Old St. Jean's" led to another increase in the size of the congregation. Corrigan had said at the first Mass that he expected the church would soon be outgrown and a new one built more worthy of Christ. During one Mass, financier and philanthropist Thomas Fortune Ryan
Thomas Fortune Ryan
Thomas Fortune Ryan was a U.S. tobacco and transport magnate. Part of his fortune paid for the construction of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Richmond, Virginia.-Early days:...
, a Virginian who converted to Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
as a young man and who, with his wife Ida Barry Ryan, supported the construction of churches, schools, and other charitable institutions along the Eastern Seaboard, arrived late and had to stand. He preferred St. Jean to the larger churches closer to his Fifth Avenue mansion, and often attended services there. He heard Father Arthur Letellier, the new pastor, ask the congregation's prayers for a new church, and afterwards asked how much one would cost. "About $300,000" ($ in contemporary dollars) he was told. "Very well", he replied. "Have your plans made and I will pay for the church".
At first Ryan had wanted a church similar in size to the existing one, but Letellier persuaded him it was time for a church with room for 1,200 people, twice the LeBrun church's capacity. Italian architect Nicholas Serracino
Nicholas Serracino
Nicholas Serracino, AIA, was an American architect active in late-nineteenth- and early twentieth-century New York City. His office was located at 1170 Broadway, New York City, and was principally noted for his designs of churches and parish schools for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York.He...
, who had been living in New York for the decade, won the commission. He produced a model of a grand Renaissance Revival church with a dome and classically
Classical architecture
Classical architecture is a mode of architecture employing vocabulary derived in part from the Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, enriched by classicizing architectural practice in Europe since the Renaissance...
inspired front facade
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"....
. His design reflected Catholics' search for a unique architectural style for their churches, since the Gothic Revival and neo-Gothic designs had become associated with Protestant churches. In 1911 Serracino's renderings
Artistic rendering
Rendering in visual art and technical drawing means the process of creating, shading, and texturing of an image, especially a photorealistic one. It can also be used to describe the quality of execution of that process...
of the unfinished church won first prize at the International Exhibition 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...
.
Ryan was initially skeptical of the dome, but when he saw how it won praise on a model of Serracino's design he authorized the additional $43,000 ($ in contemporary dollars) for it. This would not be the only cost overrun
Cost overrun
A cost overrun, also known as a cost increase or budget overrun, is an unexpected cost incurred in excess of a budgeted amount due to an under-estimation of the actual cost during budgeting...
. Serracino underestimated the costs of local labor and materials. Bedrock
Bedrock
In stratigraphy, bedrock is the native consolidated rock underlying the surface of a terrestrial planet, usually the Earth. Above the bedrock is usually an area of broken and weathered unconsolidated rock in the basal subsoil...
was 25 feet (7.6 m) deeper than originally believed because of the marshes filled
Fill dirt
Fill dirt is earthy material which is used to fill in a depression or hole in the ground or create mounds or otherwise artificially change the grade or elevation of real property....
in when the area was originally developed in the mid-19th century. The cost of the foundation
Foundation (architecture)
A foundation is the lowest and supporting layer of a structure. Foundations are generally divided into two categories: shallow foundations and deep foundations.-Shallow foundations:...
increased eightfold as a result, and plans to gild
Gilding
The term gilding covers a number of decorative techniques for applying fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces such as wood, stone, or metal to give a thin coating of gold. A gilded object is described as "gilt"...
the dome and finish the interior with marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
had to be canceled. The widening of Lexington Avenue also forced Serracino to scale back his original plans for a grand triumphal arch
Triumphal arch
A triumphal arch is a monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road. In its simplest form a triumphal arch consists of two massive piers connected by an arch, crowned with a flat entablature or attic on which a statue might be...
portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
with full-width steps. Ryan continued to provide funds for a final total cost of $600,000 ($ in contemporary dollars).
The rectory, also designed by Serracino, was built and opened in 1911. The lower church in the basement was finished and consecrated
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
in 1913 by Camillus Paul Maes
Camillus Paul Maes
Camillus Paul Maes was the third bishop of the Diocese of Covington, Kentucky, United States. Bishop Maes was responsible for building the current cathedral.-Early Life and Priesthood:...
, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington
Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington is a Roman Catholic diocese in Northern Kentucky, covering that includes the city of Covington and the following Kentucky counties: Boone, Kenton, Campbell, Gallatin, Carroll, Grant, Owen, Pendleton, Harrison, Bracken, Robertson, Mason, Fleming, and Lewis. ...
, who had been the Congregation's strongest supporter in the U.S. Early in the following year, he attended the first Mass celebrated in the upper church, even before the walls and ceilings were finished, by Father Letellier. Cardinal John Murphy Farley, the archbishop, spoke at the end of the service and read a congratulatory telegram from Pope Pius X.
1918–87: The church in a changing city
Within a few years of its construction, the new church twice became a crime sceneCrime scene
A crime scene is a location where an illegal act took place, and comprises the area from which most of the physical evidence is retrieved by trained law enforcement personnel, crime scene investigators or in rare circumstances, forensic scientists....
. The first occasion was the night of November 30, 1918, when police
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
pursued a man named Charles George into the church following a carjacking
Carjacking
Carjacking is a form of hijacking, where the crime is of stealing a motor vehicle and so also armed assault when the vehicle is occupied. Historically, such as in the rash of semi-trailer truck hijackings during the 1960s, the general term hijacking was used for that type of vehicle abduction,...
. The police and George had been exchanging gunfire, and it continued as he ran up the stairs into the choir. When he ran out of ammunition, he surrendered. Several women who had been praying in the church at the time had be treated for hysteria
Hysteria
Hysteria, in its colloquial use, describes unmanageable emotional excesses. People who are "hysterical" often lose self-control due to an overwhelming fear that may be caused by multiple events in one's past that involved some sort of severe conflict; the fear can be centered on a body part, or,...
. Almost a year later, on November 29, 1919, Cecilia Simon, a maid
Maid
A maidservant or in current usage housemaid or maid is a female employed in domestic service.-Description:Once part of an elaborate hierarchy in great houses, today a single maid may be the only domestic worker that upper and even middle-income households can afford, as was historically the case...
at an East 56th Street home, was arrested in the church when she knocked statuary and a candelabra
Candelabra
"Candelabra" is the traditional term for a set of multiple decorative candlesticks, each of which often holds a candle on each of multiple arms or branches connected to a column or pedestal...
valued at $3,000 ($ in contemporary dollars) onto the floor and shattering them after a funeral service. She was taken to Bellevue Hospital for observation. While apparently a devout enough Catholic to be a daily communicant, she was not a member of the church. At services there the previous Sunday, investigators found that in a collection envelope she had placed a note registering her objection to the arrangement on the altar. A coworker said that she had been acting strangely all week and had said she was going to "do some good work" at church that day.
In 1920 Mayor John Francis Hylan and Governor Al Smith
Al Smith
Alfred Emanuel Smith. , known in private and public life as Al Smith, was an American statesman who was elected the 42nd Governor of New York three times, and was the Democratic U.S. presidential candidate in 1928...
were among the 100,000 Catholics who signed a petition
Petition
A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer....
to the new pope, Benedict XV, to designate St. Jean Baptiste a basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
. It failed. Later in the decade the church's interior decoration was gradually installed and finished. Ryan's funeral was held in the church he had paid so much to build in 1928. In 1929 the sisters of Notre Dame opened a high school to go with the elementary school they had been running for almost 40 years.
The interior of the church was modified slightly in the 1950s during renovations. The Requiem Mass for Ryan's grandson Clendenin J. Ryan
Clendenin J. Ryan
Clendenin James Ryan, Jr. was an American businessman best known as the publisher and owner of The American Mercury magazine, published in Baltimore, Maryland in the early 1950s when McCarthyism was at it strongest....
, publisher of The American Mercury
The American Mercury
The American Mercury was an American magazine published from 1924 to 1981. It was founded as the brainchild of H. L. Mencken and drama critic George Jean Nathan. The magazine featured writing by some of the most important writers in the United States through the 1920s and 1930s...
, was held there in 1957 after his suicide. In the 1960s, following Vatican II, the church began to change, as much due to the changing demographics of its parish as the council. It stopped celebrating Mass in French, and the elementary school was closed nearly ninety years after its founding. In 1969 the city made the church one of its first designated landmarks. The next year crime once again intruded into the church when an elderly woman was stabbed on a staircase within by three youths.
1987–present: Renovation
In 1989 stones from the facade fell onto the Lexington Avenue sidewalk. No one was injured, but the church had to erect a wooden shelter to protect pedestrians from potential future incidents. That led to the restorationBuilding restoration
Building restoration describes a particular treatment approach and philosophy within the field of architectural conservation. According the U.S...
of the exterior over the next year, part of a $6 million campaign that began in 1987. Work on the stained glass windows proved particularly challenging because the original installers had forced them into spaces too small for them, making them hard to remove. It was necessary to hire more than the usual number of restorers, work overtime
Overtime
Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. Normal hours may be determined in several ways:*by custom ,*by practices of a given trade or profession,*by legislation,...
and locate the workshop in the dome rather than offsite in order to meet the church's fall 1997 deadlines. For several months during that time services were held in a nearby school auditorium.
It was financed by the sale of land and air rights
Air rights
Air rights are a type of development right in real estate, referring to the empty space above a property. Generally speaking, owning or renting land or a building gives one the right to use and develop the air rights....
over a building formerly used as a convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
by the sisters of Notre Dame, who subsequently moved into the upper floors of the rectory. A developer built The Siena, a 73-unit, 31-story luxury condominium
Condominium
A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...
tower, on the site. It has been praised by a group of architects including Robert A.M. Stern for complementing the architecture of the adjacent rectory by echoing the church's bell towers and offering "rich sculptural form and lively surface patterning ... to a neighborhood burdened by so many uninspired blocklike apartment buildings"
In 2002, a longtime parishioner, Maryanne Macaluso, alleged that the new pastor, Father Mario Marzocchi, had groped
Groping
When used in a sexual context, groping is touching or fondling another person in a sexual way using the hands; it generally has a negative connotation, and is considered molestation in most societies. The term 'frotteurism' may be applied when a person rubs up against another person, typically...
and propositioned her after offering her a secretarial position. After she complained to another priest and took paid leave due to the stress of having to see Father Mazocchi every day, the order had him evaluated by a psychologist who found nothing wrong with him, and then transferred him to a parish in Florida. When she returned to work, she claims the church retaliated against her by cutting her work hours from full-time to part-time after several weeks and giving duties she normally performed to others. When she asked the replacement pastor, Father Anthony Schueller, for full-time work, he informed her that the church could not afford to do so and she requested a letter of termination, putting her in danger of being evicted
Eviction
How you doing???? Eviction is the removal of a tenant from rental property by the landlord. Depending on the laws of the jurisdiction, eviction may also be known as unlawful detainer, summary possession, summary dispossess, forcible detainer, ejectment, and repossession, among other terms...
from her apartment.
After the state denied her unemployment claim on the grounds that she had left work voluntarily, Macaluso filed suit against the church, the order, 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...
, Cardinal Edward Egan, and Father Marzocchi. She alleged negligent hiring and hostile environment sexual harassment
Hostile environment sexual harassment
In employment law, hostile environment sexual harassment refers to a situation where employees in a workplace are subject to a pattern of exposure to unwanted sexual behavior from persons other than an employee's direct supervisor where supervisors or managers take no steps to discourage or...
. In 2007 Judge Louis York of the New York Supreme Court
New York Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in thestate court system of New York, United States. There is a supreme court in each of New York State's 62 counties, although some smaller counties share judges with neighboring counties...
dismissed her claims, without ruling on the facts, against all but Father Marzocchi, who had not responded.
Programs and services
The church celebrates Mass three times a day and five times on Sunday, with a Saturday night vigilVigil
A vigil is a period of purposeful sleeplessness, an occasion for devotional watching, or an observance...
. The Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
is exposed for prayer and contemplation at all other times. Confession
Confession
This article is for the religious practice of confessing one's sins.Confession is the acknowledgment of sin or wrongs...
is available for a half-hour daily and twice on Saturdays. The Liturgy of the Hours
Liturgy of the hours
The Liturgy of the Hours or Divine Office is the official set of daily prayers prescribed by the Catholic Church to be recited at the canonical hours by the clergy, religious orders, and laity. The Liturgy of the Hours consists primarily of psalms supplemented by hymns and readings...
is observed twice daily and once on Sundays. Devotions
Catholic devotions
A Roman Catholic devotion is a gift of oneself, or one's activities to God. It is a willingness and desire to dedicate oneself to serve God; either in terms of prayers or in terms of a set of pious acts such as the adoration of God or the veneration of the saints or the Virgin Mary.Roman Catholic...
to St. Anne are observed twice on Tuesday with an annual novena
Novena
In the Catholic Church, a novena is a devotion consisting of a prayer repeated on nine successive days, asking to obtain special graces. The prayers may come from prayer books, or consist of the recitation of the Rosary , or of short prayers through the day...
observed leading up to her July 26 feast day, to the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament's founder St. Peter Julien Eymard after Thursday's Masses, and to the Sacred Heart of Jesus after Friday evening Mass. The Rosary
Rosary
The rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...
is prayed at noon Monday through Saturday.
The church's musical ministry is led by its organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
, who also directs two choirs, one of volunteers and the other professionals. A thrift shop is run in the basement, next to the community center. A toddler play group and senior group are held there at different times of the week. Also in the basement is the Kathryn Martin Theater, which has hosted a number of musical performances, both church- and non-church-related.
In the broader community, the church, in conjunction with the sisters of Notre Dame, continues to operate St. Jean Baptiste High School
St. Jean Baptiste High School
St. Jean Baptiste High School is an all-girls, private, Roman Catholic high school located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It is located within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York.-External links:*...
for girls. The congregation is a member of the Yorkville Common Pantry and the Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter. The community center is also available for rent to individuals and organizations.
See also
- List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan from 59th to 110th Streets
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan above 59th to 110th StreetsNational Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan above 59th to 110th StreetsList of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan from 59th to 110th StreetsThis is intended to be a complete list of properties and districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places between 59th and 110th Streets in Manhattan...