“The Garrison Chapel of St. Cornelius the Centurion.” Miguel Hernandez Governors Island, in New York Harbor has been used for military purposes since 1776 when American colonists constructed hastily-built trench works to defend New York from the British. After the War of 1812 Congress approved the construction of more formal fortifications such as Fort Jay and Fort William. Over the years since then it has served as a U.S. Army Post and as a base for the U.S. Coast Guard. Currently it is being developed a culturally and historically oriented recreational site under the administration of the City of New York and the U.S. National Park Service. During the Civil War the Island served as a troop recruitment depot and a training site and when that had been accomplished and the troops were off fighting in the South the Island lay mostly empty. Later, it served as a prisoner of War camp, for Confederate officers and enlisted men. However, one of its most interesting buildings on the Island is not a 19th century fortification but an early 20th century building dedicated to religious purposes and not surprisingly; it has a martial quality as well. This building consecrated in 1906, is called, the “Garrison Chapel of St. Cornelius the Centurion.” It replaced a wooden chapel that had been there since 1847 when General Winfield Scott allowed the Trinity Church Parish located in Lower Manhattan to build it. According to legend, Cornelius was a Centurion (Roman Officer in charge of 100 soldiers) and the first Gentile to be a follower of the Christian faith. Subsequently he was baptized by St Peter at Caesarea in Palestine and was its first bishop. Given Cornelius’ military and religious vocations the naming of the chapel appeared most appropriate to both the military authorities the clergy and vestry Trinity Episcopal Church in Downtown Manhattan which had oversight over what was essentially a military congregation comprised mostly of soldiers of the First Army Infantry Division, 16th Regiment. St. Cornelius is in the English Gothic style of the fourteenth century and was designed by Architect Charles Coolidge Haight (1841-1917) who had seen action during the Civil War as an officer in both the 31st and 39th NY Infantry (Garibaldi Guards). The new St. Cornelius is an imposing Indiana limestone structure, with classic neo-Gothic details and splendid stained glass. Accordingly, it has is a cruciform floor plan with, a nave, transepts, a chancel, a side chapel and a massive crenellated tower that gives the chapel it a fortress like appearance. This tower houses the Carillion Chimes that consists of at least 23 cast bronze, cup-shaped bells, which are serially played to produce a melody, or sounded together to play a chord. It was placed there in 1949 by the Protestant Women of Fort Jay “In memory of The Armed Forces of 1st Army who gave their lives for peace 1941 – 1945. “The original organ in the present St. Cornelius Chapel was built in 1906 by the Hook & Hastings Company of Boston. In 1954, the M.P. Möller Company installed a "Double Artiste" instrument in a chamber on the right side of the chancel. The facade from the original Hook & Hastings organ was retained. Möller provided a two-manual console with tilting tablets. The total length is of the Chapel 106 feet and the greatest width 70 feet. The transepts are separated from the nave, and the chapel from chancel, by stone columns and arcades. The clergy and choir sacristies and the organ are on the south side of the chancel. Presently the chapel is bare of furniture but at one time it had beautiful carved oak pews for the clergy, the choir and the congregants while the nave and St. Albans Chapel had chairs. The clergy and choir sacristies and the organ are on the south side of the chancel. Under the chancel is a mortuary chapel, and the roof of this and the entire crypt is vaulted with flat Italian tile and a canopied set of stone seats with memorial inscriptions of three former chaplains. However, there are several intact stain glass memorial windows made by John Harman a highly regarded maker of stain glass windows based in London, England. Two of the most notable are the East Window a memorial to Winfield Scott Hancock, Major General, U. S. A. and Almira Russell, his wife. Another Altar Window in the St. Albans Chapel, is a memorial to Daniel Butterfield, Major General, U. S. V., Colonel and Brevet Major General, U. S. He received the Medal of Honor for his service during the Civil War; during the war he was credited with composing the bugle call Taps. There is also the “St Cornelius Window.” It is a double window. The left half represents Cornelius in Caesarea hearing the voice that speaks to him in Acts 10:5, "send men to Joppe, and call hither one Simon, who is surnamed Peter." When Peter comes to Caesarea, "Cornelius came to meet him, and falling at his feet adored" (v. 25), as represented in the right half of the window. There is also an oil painting on a panel on the reredos on the left side of the altar of three saints. The first saint on the left, with his elaborate armor and dragon, is St. George, St. Martin of Tours, is in the middle with an image of the poor man to whom he gave the half-cloak. The saint on the right is St. Cornelius. At one time, the Sanctuary displayed fifty battle and other ceremonial flags belonging to various American military organizations including West Point. Additionally there are a number of flags captured from Great Britain, Mexico, Spain and the Sulu Sultanate in the Southern Philippines. At present the flags are in the collections of the United States Army Center of Military History in Fort Mc Nair, Virginia. Additionally the Chapel had number of historical shields of metal which had hung for many years in the Chapel of 1846 were removed to the new Chapel upon its completion and are in the South transept. These included a shield commemorating the wreck of the "San Francisco" has on it: "Wreck of the San Francisco, Christmas, 1853. The survivors of the 3d Arty in Sorrow and in Thankfulness hang up this Shield." Another read: "Recruiting Depot. Came, 17th March, 1842. Inscribed these to the Glory of God. 1849.” Two shields placed in memory of the soldiers who fell during the Mexican War are inscribed: "Thou, O Lord, hast covered my head in the day of Battle" and "Thy truth, O Lord, shall be my shield and buckler." A smaller shield above these two is inscribed: "These Shields are set up at the cost of Soldiers returned from Mexico, 1848." Trinity Episcopal Church on Broadway at the foot of Wall Street is the owner of the Chapel of St. Cornelius, the Island’s only privately-owned building. At the present time (2013) the interior of the building is practically bare of furnishings and is used an artistic exhibit space. The Chapel’s record books and other documents area stored in the Archives of Trinity Church. “The Garrison Chapel of St. Cornelius the Centurion.” Miguel Hernandez Governors Island, in New York Harbor has been used for military purposes since 1776 when American colonists constructed hastily-built trench works to defend New York from the British. After the War of 1812 Congress approved the construction of more formal fortifications such as Fort Jay and Fort William. Over the years since then it has served as a U.S. Army Post and as a base for the U.S. Coast Guard. Currently it is being developed a culturally and historically oriented recreational site under the administration of the City of New York and the U.S. National Park Service. During the Civil War the Island served as a troop recruitment depot and a training site and when that had been accomplished and the troops were off fighting in the South the Island lay mostly empty. Later, it served as a prisoner of War camp, for Confederate officers and enlisted men. However, one of its most interesting buildings on the Island is not a 19th century fortification but an early 20th century building dedicated to religious purposes and not surprisingly; it has a martial quality as well. This building consecrated in 1906, is called, the “Garrison Chapel of St. Cornelius the Centurion.” It replaced a wooden chapel that had been there since 1847 when General Winfield Scott allowed the Trinity Church Parish located in Lower Manhattan to build it. According to legend, Cornelius was a Centurion (Roman Officer in charge of 100 soldiers) and the first Gentile to be a follower of the Christian faith. Subsequently he was baptized by St Peter at Caesarea in Palestine and was its first bishop. Given Cornelius’ military and religious vocations the naming of the chapel appeared most appropriate to both the military authorities the clergy and vestry Trinity Episcopal Church in Downtown Manhattan which had oversight over what was essentially a military congregation comprised mostly of soldiers of the First Army Infantry Division, 16th Regiment. St. Cornelius is in the English Gothic style of the fourteenth century and was designed by Architect Charles Coolidge Haight (1841-1917) who had seen action during the Civil War as an officer in both the 31st and 39th NY Infantry (Garibaldi Guards). The new St. Cornelius is an imposing Indiana limestone structure, with classic neo-Gothic details and splendid stained glass. Accordingly, it has is a cruciform floor plan with, a nave, transepts, a chancel, a side chapel and a massive crenellated tower that gives the chapel it a fortress like appearance. This tower houses the Carillion Chimes that consists of at least 23 cast bronze, cup-shaped bells, which are serially played to produce a melody, or sounded together to play a chord. It was placed there in 1949 by the Protestant Women of Fort Jay “In memory of The Armed Forces of 1st Army who gave their lives for peace 1941 – 1945. “The original organ in the present St. Cornelius Chapel was built in 1906 by the Hook & Hastings Company of Boston. In 1954, the M.P. Möller Company installed a "Double Artiste" instrument in a chamber on the right side of the chancel. The facade from the original Hook & Hastings organ was retained. Möller provided a two-manual console with tilting tablets. The total length is of the Chapel 106 feet and the greatest width 70 feet. The transepts are separated from the nave, and the chapel from chancel, by stone columns and arcades. The clergy and choir sacristies and the organ are on the south side of the chancel. Presently the chapel is bare of furniture but at one time it had beautiful carved oak pews for the clergy, the choir and the congregants while the nave and St. Albans Chapel had chairs. The clergy and choir sacristies and the organ are on the south side of the chancel. Under the chancel is a mortuary chapel, and the roof of this and the entire crypt is vaulted with flat Italian tile and a canopied set of stone seats with memorial inscriptions of three former chaplains. However, there are several intact stain glass memorial windows made by John Harman a highly regarded maker of stain glass windows based in London, England. Two of the most notable are the East Window a memorial to Winfield Scott Hancock, Major General, U. S. A. and Almira Russell, his wife. Another Altar Window in the St. Albans Chapel, is a memorial to Daniel Butterfield, Major General, U. S. V., Colonel and Brevet Major General, U. S. He received the Medal of Honor for his service during the Civil War; during the war he was credited with composing the bugle call Taps. There is also the “St Cornelius Window.” It is a double window. The left half represents Cornelius in Caesarea hearing the voice that speaks to him in Acts 10:5, "send men to Joppe, and call hither one Simon, who is surnamed Peter." When Peter comes to Caesarea, "Cornelius came to meet him, and falling at his feet adored" (v. 25), as represented in the right half of the window. There is also an oil painting on a panel on the reredos on the left side of the altar of three saints. The first saint on the left, with his elaborate armor and dragon, is St. George, St. Martin of Tours, is in the middle with an image of the poor man to whom he gave the half-cloak. The saint on the right is St. Cornelius. At one time, the Sanctuary displayed fifty battle and other ceremonial flags belonging to various American military organizations including West Point. Additionally there are a number of flags captured from Great Britain, Mexico, Spain and the Sulu Sultanate in the Southern Philippines. At present the flags are in the collections of the United States Army Center of Military History in Fort Mc Nair, Virginia. Additionally the Chapel had number of historical shields of metal which had hung for many years in the Chapel of 1846 were removed to the new Chapel upon its completion and are in the South transept. These included a shield commemorating the wreck of the "San Francisco" has on it: "Wreck of the San Francisco, Christmas, 1853. The survivors of the 3d Arty in Sorrow and in Thankfulness hang up this Shield." Another read: "Recruiting Depot. Came, 17th March, 1842. Inscribed these to the Glory of God. 1849.” Two shields placed in memory of the soldiers who fell during the Mexican War are inscribed: "Thou, O Lord, hast covered my head in the day of Battle" and "Thy truth, O Lord, shall be my shield and buckler." A smaller shield above these two is inscribed: "These Shields are set up at the cost of Soldiers returned from Mexico, 1848." Trinity Episcopal Church on Broadway at the foot of Wall Street is the owner of the Chapel of St. Cornelius, the Island’s only privately-owned building. At the present time (2013) the interior of the building is practically bare of furnishings and is used an artistic exhibit space. The Chapel’s record books and other documents area stored in the Archives of Trinity Church.
Posted on: Fri, 30 Aug 2013 10:15:45 +0000
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