Church of the Incarnation - New York City

Church of the Incarnation
New York City - June, 2010

I took pictures of the Church of the Incarnation on Madison and 35th Street. I was there months ago but was uncertain then whether photography was allowed so I only stood at the entrance and took a shot of the nave.

This time, I met a man seated behind a table by the entrance so I asked for permission. He was wearing iPod earplugs and had to remove them to hear me repeat my question. “Yes,” he said. Then, as if to assure me he meant it, added, “Feel free”.

Still, I felt uncertain and moved slowly. I wanted to show respect. Churches in my mind are a house of worship and an unkempt paparazzo like me poking my camera at the most sacrosanct of objects is not the primary reason for their being.

I planted my gorillapod on the floor of the center aisle. I crouched and took shots of the altar. I then turned around and did the same at the entrance behind me, the gallery above, and the stained glass window.

While doing this I heard a man speak softly behind me, “He’s taking pictures.” He then repeated this a little louder as if he wasn’t heard the first time.

When I was done I stood up and turned around. I saw a frail, old woman -- she reminded me of Nancy Reagan in her later years -- with a walking stick and being aided by a younger man. Apparently, they were waiting for me to finish so they can pass. The old woman was looking at me with big inquiring eyes and flashing a very wide smile.

As I stepped aside, the old woman continued to smile, keeping her head turned at me as they walked past, her arm being held by the younger man. There was no uncertainty in her smile -- just a smile as best as anyone could give. She seemed “joyous”, if that made any sense, at whatever it was I was doing.

I then took pictures of a small, darkly-lit chapel to the left of the altar. According to the pamphlet I picked up at the vestibule, this was the Chapel of the Nativity.

On my way out I stopped by the man behind the desk to say thanks. He removed his earplugs again and asked if I saw the Chapel of the Nativity. I said I did. He asked if there was enough light because he can go there and turn on some lights. Surprised at this gesture I said, no, I like taking pictures in low light. I added I’m not a professional, just a hobbyist learning photography. With only a hint of a smile his eyes looked down then looked back at me and said, “So am I.”

I always thought that people who worked in churches -- especially one of such antiquity as the Incarnation -- were always after greater glory. They, in my mind, had only heaven on their minds. But the man proved me wrong. I suppose like regular, everyday people -- and maybe even that man who died on the cross if given the chance -- they, too, can take the time to share passions, photography being one, that are purely of this earth.

(Source for all quoted passages: A Guide to the Interior of Church of the Incarnation)

Click on a picture to enlarge.

Glass window to the right of the vestibule depicting Christ's Ascension by the Chapel of the Resurrection.

“During the nineteenth century, it was customary for Episcopal churches (at least in New York) to meet their expenses with a system of pew rentals. Certain pews were kept open for visitors and those who could not afford to pay, but most churches went a step further and set up mission chapels, where the pews were either free or rented for a very low figure. This church had its beginnings in just such a chapel.”
The sacristy door and organ are at the end of the aisle on the right.

The marble altar is on the East Wall. “The design incorporates many types of marble from different areas of the world, including Vermont, Georgia, Belgium, Africa, Italy, and France. The altar cross is bronze covered with a dull rose gold. The cross is richly ornamented in Gothic style with grapevine motifs symbolizing the blood of Christ. It is studded with garnets and amethysts. The cross and candlesticks were made by Gorham & Company.”
“High above the altar are three sets of clerestory windows by Henry Wynd Young. The center set features a sacrificial lamb standing on the scroll of the seven seals, as described in the Book of Revelation.”

Gallery and the great west window on the West Wall.

“The great west window above the main entrance to the nave depicts the Adoration of the Lord as the Risen and Enthroned Christ in Heaven with a gathering of saints and angels. Around Christ we see the Virgin Mary, Saint Peter, Saint John, Saint John the Baptist, Saint Paul, Isaiah, King David, Saint Jerome, Saint Basil, Saint Columba, Saint Hilda, Saint Helena, Saint Stephen, Saint George, Saint Agnes, and Saint Catherine. In the upper portion, there are angels with scrolls bearing the words of the Te Deum. Below them are angels singing and playing their hymns of praise. This window echoes the style of fifteenth-century English glass painters and was made by C.E. Kemp of England.”

Chapel of the Nativity. “The altar depicts the Last Supper in high relief...The mosaic floors depict the names of the Messiah from Isaiah 9:6: Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.”

The Episcopal Church of the Incarnation was completed in 1864. To give a perspective on timeline, Lincoln was assassinated in 1865.

Corner of Madison and 35th Street. The style of the church is Early Decorated English Gothic.

It may be easy to criticize churches today for their lavishness. Much money is spent on constructing elaborate edifices of stone and glass when God, it is said, is already in our hearts. But if one took the time to read through a church’s architectural history, one might find not lavishness but labor. If a glassmaker is asked to build a glass window for a church, he might do so with a wholly different attitude than he would for an office building. An outpouring of reverence and maybe even charity might pervade his mind. There is a greater love to be found we all seem to know, and perhaps the builders know all too well that even the grandest and best-looking churches our hands can craft will stand pale and insignificant in comparison when placed side-by-side with the greatness of this love.

A man reads the paper early in the morning on the front steps of the Church of the Incarnation.

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