St. Jean Baptiste Roman Catholic Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St. Jean BaptisteRoman Catholic Church |
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north profile and west elevation; in the background left is The Siena, built using air rights bought from the church (2014)
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Catholic Church (Latin Church) |
| District | Archdiocese of New York |
| Leadership | The Rev. John Kamas, S.S.S. |
| Year consecrated | 1912 |
| Location | |
| Location | 1067-71 Lexington Avenue (184 East 76th Street) Manhattan, New York City |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Nicholas Serracino |
| Architectural style | Italian Renaissance Revival, Classical Revival, Italian Mannerism |
| Groundbreaking | 1910 |
| Completed | 1913 |
| Construction cost | $600,000 |
| Specifications | |
| Direction of façade | west |
| Capacity | 1,200 |
| Dome(s) | 1 |
| Dome height (outer) | 175 feet (53 m) |
| Spire(s) | 2 |
| Spire height | 150 feet (46 m) |
| Materials | Limestone |
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St. Jean Baptiste
Roman Catholic Church |
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 Location in New York City
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| NRHP reference No. | 80002720 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | April 23, 1980 |
| Website | |
| The Church of St. Jean Baptiste, New York City | |
St. Jean Baptiste Roman Catholic Church is a beautiful Catholic church in New York City. You can find it on Lexington Avenue and East 76th Street in Manhattan. The church started in 1882 to serve French Canadian families who had moved to the area. It was their special church until 1957. Since 1900, priests from the Fathers of the Blessed Sacrament have led the church.
A rich man named Thomas Fortune Ryan helped pay for building this church. It was designed by Nicholas Serracino, an architect from Italy. He mixed different styles like Italian Renaissance Revival and Classical Revival. Serracino even won an award for his design in Italy in 1911. This church is the only one he designed in New York City that is still standing.
St. Jean Baptiste is one of the few Catholic churches in New York City with a large dome. It is also one of only two churches in the city with special stained glass windows from Chartres, France. The other is St. Patrick's Cathedral. The church became a city landmark in 1969. It was also added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The church was carefully cleaned and fixed up between 1995 and 1996.
The church started in a small rented room above a stable in 1882. Over time, it moved and grew into the grand building you see today. St. Jean Baptiste High School also began on the church grounds in 1886. It was first an elementary school run by nuns. The church has a special shrine to Saint Anne. This shrine became famous after many people reported being healed there in the late 1800s.
Contents
Exploring the Church Building
The church is on the east side of Lexington Avenue at 76th Street. The main church building takes up most of the land. The rectory, where the priests live, is on the south side. St. Jean Baptiste High School is also nearby. Lenox Hill Hospital is close by too.
Outside the Church
The church building opened in 1913. It is made of limestone, a type of stone. The front of the church, facing west, is very decorated. The main entrance has a triangular roof (called a pediment) and tall Corinthian columns. Smaller pediments are above the side entrances.
Above a wide ledge, two bell towers rise 150 feet (46 meters) high. They have round-arched openings and columns. An open circle of columns supports a ribbed dome on top of each tower. These smaller domes look like the church's main dome. The main dome in the middle of the church is 172 feet (52 meters) tall. Between the two towers, statues of angels hold a globe. The roofs are covered in copper.
On each side of the front, there are projecting entrance areas with windows. These are topped with statues of angels blowing trumpets. The sides of the church have tall, round-arched windows. They also have the same decorative ledge as the front.
Inside the Church
Inside, the main hall (called the nave) has a curved ceiling like a barrel. Tall Corinthian columns separate the nave from the side aisles. All the ceilings, ribs, and arches are decorated with fancy designs. The tops of the columns are also shiny and gold. The center of the nave ceiling has paintings that make the sky look real. The inside of the dome has a detailed flower pattern.
At the back of the church, the main altar stands tall. It has a shiny mosaic half-dome, statues, and smaller sculptures. This is where the shrine of St. Anne is located. A six-foot-tall (2 meter) monstrance sits on top of the altar. This is used to show the Eucharist to people for prayer. Smaller altars are on the sides. One is for Mary, made of white marble. Another honors St. Joseph. The walls and ceilings are decorated with paintings in the Baroque style.
The beautiful stained glass windows and the main altar came from France and Italy after World War I. The windows show scenes from the Bible. They picture the Twelve Apostles, stories from the Old Testament, and events from Jesus' life. These include the Last Supper and Jesus appearing to his followers after Easter. The main altar is 50 feet (15 meters) tall. Artists from Italy came to New York to put it together.
Under the main dome is the altar table, made of white marble. It has the letters IHS, which stand for Jesus in Greek. The wooden benches, choir seats, and confessionals are all made of oak and are beautifully carved. You can see symbols of the Eucharist, like wheat and grapes, all over the church. The inside of the church was fully restored in 1998.
Other Buildings Connected to the Church
The rectory, where the priests live, was built in 1911. It was also designed by Nicholas Serracino. This building looks like an Italian palace. It is five stories tall and made of white brick. The front has seven sections with stone arches over each window. The ground floor looks like rough stone. The outside of the rectory has not changed much. However, the inside has been updated many times. Only the original oak wood remains inside.
A four-story brick school building was built in 1925. Another five-story building for the brothers was built in 1930. A five-story apartment building for the sisters was built in 1931. These buildings were designed by Robert J. Reiley.
Church History: A Journey Through Time
St. Jean Baptiste started small in a rented room. It has grown to be one of New York's most special Catholic churches. It has been in three different buildings and cared for by two different groups of priests.
How the Parish Began (1841–1882)
In the early 1800s, many French people lived in New York. In 1841, a bishop from France noticed that French Catholics in New York did not have their own churches. So, the first Church of St. Vincent de Paul opened in 1842.
This church grew and moved north in 1868. At that time, many French Canadian families lived in Yorkville. It was hard for them to travel downtown for church services. So, a priest suggested having services closer to their homes. In 1881, the French immigrants' St. Jean Societé raised $12 to start a new church. This is considered the beginning of St. Jean Baptiste Church.
A small chapel was set up in a rented room above a stable. The noise from the horses below earned it the nickname "Crib of Bethlehem." A few months later, Cardinal John McCloskey allowed them to build a church. The new parish raised $14,000 to buy land on East 76th Street in 1882. By the end of that year, the new building's cornerstone was blessed.
The first church was designed by Napoleon LeBrun. It was a simple Gothic Revival building, 100 feet (30 meters) long and 40 feet (12 meters) wide. It could hold 600 people. Building the church had some problems. They had to use the unfinished basement for services in 1883.
The First Church and St. Anne's Shrine (1882–1900)
The new church was popular with French Canadians and all Catholics on the Upper East Side. Many people who worked early in the morning liked having a church nearby. In 1886, nuns from the Congregation of Notre Dame started an elementary school there.
In 1892, the church became a special shrine to Saint Anne. A Canadian priest, Father J.C. Marquis, visited the church with a relic of St. Anne. He planned to stay only one night. But when a young man having a seizure was touched by the relic, his shaking stopped. This seemed like a miracle. Many people heard about it and came to the church hoping for cures. The priest stayed for three weeks.
When Father Marquis finally left, people asked him to bring the relic back for good. He promised to get a relic for St. Jean Baptiste. He returned with a piece of the relic in July. More crowds came, and more miracles were reported. Because of this, he was able to bring another relic specifically for St. Jean Baptiste.
New Leadership and a New Church (1900–1918)
In 1900, a Catholic activist named Eliza Lummis brought the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament (SSS) to New York. These priests, brothers, and deacons focused on Eucharistic adoration, which means praying in front of the Eucharist. They often attended Mass at St. Jean Baptiste. The pastor joked that he would give them his church if they couldn't find one. The Archbishop heard this and put St. Jean Baptiste under their care. The church's inside was changed to fit their style of worship.
More people started coming to "Old St. Jean's" because of the continuous display of the Eucharist and daily confessions. The Archbishop had predicted that the church would soon be too small. One day, a wealthy man named Thomas Fortune Ryan came to Mass and had to stand. He liked St. Jean Baptiste better than other churches. He heard the new pastor, Father Arthur Letellier, ask for prayers for a new church. Ryan then asked how much it would cost. He was told "About $300,000." Ryan replied, "Very well. Have your plans made and I will pay for the church."
Ryan first wanted a church the same size. But Father Letellier convinced him to build a church for 1,200 people, twice the size of the old one. Italian architect Nicholas Serracino won the job. He designed a grand Renaissance Revival church with a dome. His design was different from the popular Gothic Revival style. In 1911, Serracino's designs won an award in Italy.
Ryan was unsure about the dome at first. But when he saw how popular it was on the model, he approved the extra $43,000 for it. The project cost more than expected. The ground was deeper than thought, which made the foundation much more expensive. Plans to cover the dome in gold and use marble inside had to be canceled. The widening of Lexington Avenue also made the architect change his plans for the front entrance. Ryan continued to pay, and the total cost reached $600,000.
The rectory, also designed by Serracino, opened in 1911. The lower church in the basement was finished and blessed in 1913. Early the next year, the first Mass was held in the upper church, even before the walls were fully decorated.
Changes in the City (1920–1987)
In 1920, many Catholics signed a petition asking the pope to make St. Jean Baptiste a basilica, a special church title. This effort was not successful. Later in the 1920s, the church's interior decorations were slowly added. Thomas Fortune Ryan's funeral was held in the church he helped build in 1928. In 1929, the nuns opened a high school for girls.
The church's inside was changed a little in the 1950s. In the 1960s, after Vatican II, the church changed more. It stopped holding Mass in French. The elementary school closed after almost 90 years. In 1969, the city made the church one of its first designated landmarks.
Renovation and Modern Times (1987–Present)
In 1989, stones fell from the church's front onto the sidewalk. No one was hurt, but the church had to put up a wooden cover to protect people. This led to a big restoration project that cost $6 million. Fixing the stained glass windows was very hard. The original workers had forced them into spaces that were too small. This made them difficult to remove. More workers were needed, and they worked extra hours to finish on time. For several months, services were held in a nearby school.
The renovation was paid for by selling land and "air rights" from a building that used to be a convent for the nuns. The nuns then moved into the rectory. A company built a tall luxury apartment building called The Siena on the old convent site. Architects have praised this new building for fitting in well with the church's design.
Programs and Services
The church holds Mass three times a day and five times on Sunday. There is also a Saturday night service. The Eucharist is displayed for prayer at other times. Confession is available daily and twice on Saturdays. Daily prayers are also said twice a day. Special prayers to St. Anne are held on Tuesdays. There are also prayers to St. Peter Julian Eymard on Thursdays and to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on Fridays. The Rosary is prayed at noon from Monday to Saturday.
The church has a music program with an organist and two choirs. One choir is made of volunteers, and the other has professional singers. A thrift shop is in the basement, next to the community center. The community center also hosts a play group for toddlers and a group for seniors. The Kathryn Martin Theater in the basement holds many musical performances.
The church, with the nuns, still runs St. Jean Baptiste High School for girls. The church also helps with the Yorkville Common Pantry and the Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter. The community center can be rented for events.
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