St Paul´s Chapel, New York

•••Introduction•••

The manmade landscape of Lower Manhattan consists of a wondrously eclectic assemblage of intriguing structures. In the midst of this landscape, a carefully roving eye will detect an unnatural hole--unnatural, in that it is devoid of a skyline. That hole, of course, is the space where the World Trade Center once stood and where a kind of frenzied, reverent construction process is now ...
...a few hundred yards away--indeed, right across the street--is another Manhattan anomaly, St. Paul's Chapel. As one of the few remaining colonial structures in Lower Manhattan, it is the area's oldest continuously used public building, not to mention its only remaining colonial church, St. Paul's is an exceedingly rare reminder that this corner of Manhattan Island was once regarded as a rural retreat. Built between 1764 and 1766, its original Anglican ... more

•••Introduction•••

The manmade landscape of Lower Manhattan consists of a wondrously eclectic assemblage of intriguing structures. In the midst of this landscape, a carefully roving eye will detect an unnatural hole--unnatural, in that it is devoid of a skyline. That hole, of course, is the space where the World Trade Center once stood and where a kind of frenzied, reverent construction process is now the order of the day.

Just a few hundred yards away--indeed, right across the street--is another Manhattan anomaly, St. Paul's Chapel. As one of the few remaining colonial structures in Lower Manhattan, it is the area's oldest continuously used public building, not to mention its only remaining colonial church, St. Paul's is an exceedingly rare reminder that this corner of Manhattan Island was once regarded as a rural retreat. Built between 1764 and 1766, its original Anglican parishioners were farmers located on the northern fringes of the colonial port of New York. Today, the chapel with its churchyard forms a small green oasis of the past amidst the hustle and bustle of modern New York City's financial district.

Some would claim that on September 11, 2001, the fact that an ancient sycamore tree stood between the small church and the World Trade Center--and took the brunt of the forces released by the collapsing buildings--was no accident. The tree fell with spreading branches that acted as a shield to preserve the church from what should have been certain destruction. Since that time, those caught up in the events that followed 9-11 at Ground Zero have bonded with St. Paul's to form a remarkable model for humanitarian conduct during a time of tragedy.

•••History and Architecture•••

Before 9-11, St. Paul's was already imbued with an impressive history. George Washington worshiped there during the 2 years that the port city of New York served as the Nation's capital, as did George Clinton, the State of New York's first governor. The two Georges had pews on opposite sides of the sanctuary, which means that modern visitors will find the Great Seal of the United States and the Coat of Arms of the State of New York facing each other from opposite walls of the chapel. Other presidents and dignitaries who have worshiped there include Britain's King William IV, who served as an officer in the Royal Navy during the American Revolution; Lords Cornwallis and Howe, who lead British forces against the American rebels; and Presidents Grover Cleveland, Benjamin Harrison, and George Bush (the elder).

The chapel's architecture and interior decoration are as historically evocative as its former congregants. Built in the Georgian Classic-Revival style using local stone, St. Paul's resembles a smaller version of St. Martin's-in-the-Field near London's Trafalgar Square--although St. Martin's appears pristinely white whereas St. Paul's is constructed of local mica-schist and brownstone. Pierre L'Enfant, best known for his pioneering city plan for Washington, D.C., designed St. Paul's dramatic alter piece, "Glory," which depicts the tablets of the Ten Commandments at the foot of Mt. Sinai.

•••St. Paul's Today•••

St. Paul's today is an integral part of the Episcopal parish served by nearby Trinity Church. In many respects, it has a typically urban ministry--multilingual outreach, programs for families and for the homeless, plus a series of lectures and concerts. In other ways, however, St. Paul's is not typical. It was and is "The Little Chapel That Stood" on the threshold of Ground Zero, a place that for so many served as a source of hope and help during the frenzy that immediately followed September 11, 2001. It was an on-the-spot base of operations for rescue and recovery personnel during those long weeks of searching through the rubble. At St. Paul's, the fireman, rescuers, and other workers found food, water, and a place to escape for a few minutes of quite or prayer-or sleep. St. Paul's became a symbol of hospitality and meaningful support, of courage and constancy in the face of tragedy.

•••Our Visit to St. Paul's•••

When Himself and Yours Truly visited St. Paul's Chapel in April of this year, we found it by chance. We had deboarded our Battery Park-bound bus to pay our respects at the site of the World Trade Center. Spying the old church across the street, we noticed a fair amount of activity, with people coming and going. We entered as most of the rescue workers would have done, through the churchyard doors at the rear of the chapel. To our surprise, we found that we already knew this place. This was little church we'd heard about and seen on so many news reports during the weeks after 9-11.

Inside St. Paul's, we found a moving exhibit titled Unwavering Spirit: Hope and Healing at Ground Zero. We found handmade banners and posters hanging from the balcony, a selection from the many sent to St. Paul's from all over the country, and indeed the world. One that particularly caught my eye was apparently made by a child. It depicted a large red heart with a zigzag down the middle. Above the broken heart was the word "Hope" and across the zigzag was a band-aide.

We saw impromptu shrines of the type that appeared all over New York during that time--poignant reminders of lives lost and grief endured by families who had too few answers about their missing loved one. We saw offerings of mementos of all kinds left for the workers: teddy bears and t-shirts, notes of thanks and support, flags of all sizes from many nations. We saw a manikin draped in a liturgical garment entirely covered with dozens of colorful policy, fire, and rescue patches that hung loosely like the feathers on King Kamehameha's robes. We saw a cross fashioned from two sections of a heavy chain, the links welded to hold bar of the cross firmly in place. And under a window, we saw a simply cot covered with stuffed animals, a telling reminder of the comfort offered at St. Paul's.

Across the sanctuary, I noticed Himself lingering here and there, his eyes scanning one display, then another. After a few minutes, he came to my side and said, "Take all the time you want, but I need to go back outside." The emotions he was experiencing were etched quietly on his face. As I left the chapel, I found him beside a bell that had been presented to St. Paul's by the mayor of London. Cast in bronze at Whitechapel Bell Foundry (the same foundry that created Big Ben and the Liberty Bell), the Bell of Hope was presented to the chapel by the mayor of London on September 11, 2002, and is inscribed with words--

"To the greater glory of God and in recognition of the enduring links between the City of London and the City of New York. Forged in adversity - September 11, 2001."

On July 8, 2005, the bell rang in tribute to the victims of a new and similarly senseless tragedy in London. It tolled four times in memory of each of the four blasts that shook London on July 7, 2005. Then it tolled steadily for a minute, a memorial to these more recent victims of terror.

•••Location, Hours, and Loose Ends•••

St. Paul's Chapel is located at Broadway and Fulton Street (or on the opposite side, at Church Street and Fulton) in Lower Manhattan. It is open to visitors 7 days a week from 10 am through 6 pm (4 pm on Sundays). The church is easily accessible by both the New York bus and subway systems.

Services include a daily Prayer for Peace at 12:30 pm; morning and evening prayers conducted Monday through Friday at 10:15 am and 5 pm, respectively; and eucharist services on Wednesday (12:30 pm) and Sunday (8 am).

Web sites: http://www.trinitywallstreet.org/
http://www.saintpaulschapel.org/

As for the felled sycamore, the tree that shielded the church from the worst of the fallout from collapsing buildings on 9-11, it will be memorialized at the chapel by a sculpture that is actually molded from the tree's stump. A new tree, a 21-foot-high Norway spruce christened the Tree of Hope, has taken the place of the sycamore in the northwest corner of the churchyard.

© DAnneC/BawBaw, 2005
 

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