September 28, 2005
SISTER SPIRIT ARLENE
Arlene
My name is Arlene and I am eighteen. When I heard that we were going to take a trip to St John the Divine Cathedral, located on 110th and Amsterdam Avenue, I was a bit apprehensive. I said to myself, not another church! I don’t like churches that are filled with idols and religious symbols. They make me feel uncomfortable. If you were to go to a Catholic church you would usually find idols and paintings of Christ, Virgin Mary and others all over the place. But not this church which surprised me. I enjoyed being in there.
The church gave me a realistic idea of how buildings were built during the Gothic or medieval period. I was always intrigued by Gothic painting, I would go to the museum and just stare at these paintings, it’s like they hold a secret or a code that no one can break.
The pillars give support to the church—much like the backbone of a human body. They were so enormous that you felt like a small bug. The ceilings above you are so far from the ground that in order to get a good look at them, it’s best to lie down on the ground, in the same way that it’s best to lie down when you want to look at the sky.
The stained glass windows with their astonishing colors—mostly blue—give you a sense of peace. When the sun hits them, you’ll see a dance of colors all around the stone walls, but don’t be fooled these windows back in the days not only provided light they also provided knowledge for the people that attended the church. You see these windows hold stories that you would usually find in books. Why? Well, simple, not everyone in those times knew how to read.
The most interesting aspect of this church is that although it was built centuries ago, it is still under construction. After all these years, you might think that the church should be finished. Different architects had worked on it at different times, but had died before the building could be completed. Although this might be a problem, the church still gets publicity. Every day people come in and visit the church, even people from other parts of the world. You might ask why? I can only say that their faith is stronger than the construction of the church.