The Peace Fountain of the Cathedral Church of St, John the Divine

As a continuation of my prior blog post  (click here) about the magnificent Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, I'd like to show you the very unusual "Peace Fountain" which is located in the side yard of the cathedral. (The photo collage above---as well as all photos in this post--will enlarge for easier viewing if clicked on once)  The Peace Fountain was sculpted by Cathedral Artist-in-Residence Greg Wyatt to mark the 200th anniversary of the Anglican Diocese of New York in 1985. Information from the cathedral's web site: The 40-foot high bronze sculpture weaves together several representations of the conflict between good and evil. Above, the Archangel Michael embraces one of the nine giraffes (said to be the most peaceful of creatures) after his defeat of Satan. Below, the lion lies down with the lamb. The fountain's spiraling base takes inspiration from the double-helix of DNA  On either side of the fountain, moon and sun-like faces direct their gazes toward and away from Amsterdam Avenue."

I lightened this photo so that you could see more of the detail in the sculpture

Another view of the Peace Fountain.

There is much symbolism in the fountain, and if you click on and enlarge this descriptive plaque that is at its base, you can read more about the fountain.

Around the fountain's basin are a series of small bronze animal sculptures created by K-12 students from New York City and tri-state area public, private and parochial school. Collectively known as the Children's Sculpture Garden, it represents the diverse community the Cathedral strives to serve and represent.

Close-ups of some of the animals sculpted by the children.

There were also book-like sculptured plaques located in the sunken plaza in which the fountain sits,  that contained quotations of various philosophers, authors, artists, and contemporary icons 

The Cathedral and its surrounding gardens and buildings form an 11.3-acre complex collectively referred to as The Close.  The Close is open to the public year-round during daylight hours, with two entrances located along Amsterdam Avenue at 110th and 111th Streets.  On the grounds are the Cathedral House, the Ogilvie House, the Diocesan House, the Synod House, and the Ithiel Town Building.

The grounds also contain a Pulpit Lawn, a Biblical Garden containing all the species mentioned in the bible, and roaming peacocks and beehives, Unfortunately, I visited the Cathedral in early March before the spring flowering, and the light was fading so I was unable to get good photos of these features.  Whenever I make a return visit to NYC I will try to re-visit to see them.

Across from the back of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine lies Morningside Park. It is a narrow strip that stretches 13 blocks through the neighborhoods of Harlem and Morningside Heights. Built on a steep incline, it contains winding paths bordered with trees and flowers that lead to a cascading waterfall. Ball fields and playgrounds make it a pleasant community park.

Driving away from the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine is a view of Broadway in the Upper West Side, which is full of residential buildings.

It has been a busy time for me the past few months, as not only did I visit NYC twice, but I also visited Chicago, and the Sonoma and Napa Valleys of California, and San Francisco! My husband had quite a few business trips to those areas that we extended by a few days into mini vacations.  So I have much ahead to show on future posts from those cities as well as from my beautiful area in Colorado. Hope you will visit again soon!