Cathedral of St John the Divine, New York City
The largest gothic cathedral in the world. It was incorporated in 1873. Its foundation was laid on Dec. 27, 1892, the Feast of St. John. The east end and crossing were opened in 1911 and its entire length (601 feet) was opened in 1941. The sanctuary and choir are of Romanesque style. The great nave was built in French Gothic according to the plans of Ralph Adams Cram. The height of the nave vault is 124 feet. After Our Lady at Yamasoukro in the Ivory Coast and St. Peter's in Rome (which are not cathedrals), it is the world's third largest church. It is said that if the Statue of Liberty were placed underneath the main dome, her torch would just graze the vault. Construction was halted in 1941 during World War II, but resumed in 1979.
Glossary definitions provided courtesy of Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY,(All Rights reserved) from “An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians,” Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors.