The Peace Fountain-Cathedral of Saint John the Divine by West 110th Street

Mo “This weekend spent the afternoon at a big building with statues that also had a garden next to it.”

Sa “What are you doing?”

Mo “Telling people about the place we went to. Where was I, oh yea, we had chicken and there were some mini statues in the garden and hmmm maybe you should talk for a bit.”

Sa “I think that would be best. The big building Mo was talking about is the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in the Morningside Heights by 110^th street and Amsterdam.”

Mo “If you look hard you can see us in the picture. That is how big the building is.”

Sa “Yes mom also took some impressive images close up.”

Mo "Then we walked next to the building and saw some really interesting stuff."

Sa " Indeed. The Peace fountain sculpture that ws built in 1985. When you look at the sculpture you can see the sun, moon and many animals."

Mo "What did this plaque say?"

Sa "Move over and let me see."

Sa "Well it says-Peace Fountain celebrates the triumph of Good over Evil, and sets before us the world's opposing forces—violence and harmony, light and darkness, life and death—which God reconciles in his peace.When the fountain operates, four courses of water cascade down the freedom pedestal into a maelstrom evoking the primordial chaos of Earth. Foursquare around the base, flames of freedom rise in witness to the future. Ascending from the pool, the freedom pedestal is shaped like the double helix of DNA, the key molecule of life. Atop the pedestal a giant crab reminds us of life's origins in sea and struggle. Facing West, a somnolent Moon reflects tranquility from a joyous Sun smiling to the East. The swirls encircling the heavenly bodies bespeak the larger movements of the cosmos with which earthly life is continuous."

Mo "Wow that is a lot of words."

Sa "Actually that is not all it also says-Nine giraffes—among the most peaceable of animals—nestle and prance about the center. One rests its head on the bosom of the winged Archangel Michael, described in the bible as the leader of the heavenly host against the forces of Evil. St. Michael's sword is vanquishing his chief opponent, Satan, whose decapitated figure plunges into the depths, his head dangling beneath the crab's claw. Tucked away next to the Sun, a lion and lamb relax together in the peace of God's kingdom, as foretold by the prophet Isaiah."

Mo "So basically it explains about the statue."

Sa "That's right."

Mo "What about all the little statues over here an around the garden."

Sa "These are a series of bronze animal sculptures created by K-12 students from New York City and surrounding area public, private, and parochial schools. Collectively known as the Children’s Sculpture Garden, they represent the diverse community the Cathedral strives to serve and represent."

Mo "Wow that is very interesting. So they let the little humans make something and put them up for all visitors to see."

Sa "True that was a good day. Hope everyone enjoyed this edition of our travels."


 MoSa “And for all those humans who like the images here and want to see more you can visit our moms site to purchase images from the link below.”

https://bkpphotography.smugmug.com/