Voices of the Stones
View the incredible—but mostly unseen—sculptures of St. John the Divine
Thursday, Jan. 30 6-7pm via Zoom Free for LW! Members
Construction of the landmarked Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine on 112th Street began in 1892. The Great Choir, the Nave and seven chapels were completed when, 40 years ago, the Cathedral undertook a major project to construct its long overdue North and South towers. Despite that effort, however, they have never been completed—thus the church’s nickname, St. John the Unfinished.
What many don't know is that the partially finished South Tower contains an extraordinary array of stone sculpture not readily visible from street level or otherwise open to the public. Photojournalist Robert F. Rodriguez was artist/photographer-in-residence at the Cathedral as these works were being created. He documented the extraordinary process for posterity and has offered LW! a unique, behind-the-scenes introduction to those incredible sculptures and the artists who created them.
This is a truly rare chance to get, through Robert's impressive lenses, close to these wondrous, intricate and often humorous carvings, to trace them back to the dedicated men and women stone carvers who crafted them, and to even discover some of the “secret” messages carved into the limestone creations.
Our speaker:
Robert F. Rodriguez has a 50-year career as a photojournalist and photo editor for Gannett Newspapers and the Daily Mail. In recent years, he has also photographed and photo-edited two books on New York City history and architecture, Heaven on the Hudson: Mansions, Monuments and Marvels of Riverside Park and the upcoming Fabulous Fountains of New York. As an artist-in-residence at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Robert documented the work of contemporary stonecutters and carvers as they resumed construction using medieval tools and techniques. He is also a regular contributor to Divine Stone, a blog dedicated to the stonework at the Cathedral.
Photo courtesy of Robert F. Rodriguez
