The Cloisters facts for kids
View of the main entrance
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| Established | May 10, 1938 |
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| Location | 99 Margaret Corbin Drive, Fort Tryon Park Manhattan, New York City |
| Type | Medieval art Romanesque architecture Gothic architecture |
| Public transit access | Subway: 190th Street or Dyckman Street,  Dyckman StreetBus: Bx7, M4, M100 |
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The Cloisters
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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| Built | 1935–1939 |
| Architect | Charles Collens |
| Part of | Fort Tryon Park and the Cloisters (ID78001870) |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | December 19, 1978 |
The Cloisters, also known as the Met Cloisters, is a special museum in New York City. It's located in Fort Tryon Park in Upper Manhattan. This museum focuses on European medieval art and architecture. It mainly features art from the Romanesque and Gothic periods.
The Cloisters is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It has a huge collection of medieval artworks. These pieces are shown in settings that look like old French monasteries. The museum's buildings are built around four actual cloisters. These are the Cuxa, Saint-Guilhem, Bonnefont, and Trie cloisters. An American sculptor named George Grey Barnard bought them in France before 1913. They were then moved to New York.
Later, a rich person named John D. Rockefeller Jr. bought Barnard's collection for the museum. Other important art pieces came from the collections of J. P. Morgan and Joseph Brummer. The museum building was designed by Charles Collens. It sits on a steep hill and has different levels. Inside, you'll find medieval gardens, chapels, and themed galleries. These include the Romanesque, Fuentidueña, Unicorn, Spanish, and Gothic rooms. The whole design makes you feel like you're in a medieval European monastery.
The Cloisters holds about 5,000 artworks. All of them are European and mostly from the 12th to 15th centuries. The collection includes stone and wood sculptures, tapestries, illuminated manuscripts, and paintings. Famous pieces include the Mérode Altarpiece (around 1422) and the Hunt of the Unicorn tapestries (around 1495–1505). Rockefeller bought the museum site in 1930 and gave it to the Metropolitan Museum in 1931. The Cloisters opened on May 10, 1938. People said it was a place where art was shown "in a picturesque setting, which stimulates imagination".
Contents
History of The Cloisters Museum
How the Museum Started
The idea for The Cloisters came from George Grey Barnard. He was an American sculptor and art collector. He created his own medieval art museum near his home in Upper Manhattan. Barnard was a successful sculptor, but he often struggled with money. He moved to Paris in 1883 to study art. Between 1905 and 1913, he lived near Fontainebleau, France. There, he started buying and selling European objects from the 13th and 14th centuries. He first bought single art pieces from French dealers. Then, he started buying parts of old buildings from local farmers.
Barnard was very interested in old abbeys and churches built by monks from the 12th century. Over hundreds of years, many of these buildings were damaged or destroyed in wars. Local people often reused the stones. Barnard was one of the first to see the value in these old pieces. He sometimes faced problems from local groups and governments. But he was a smart negotiator. As a sculptor, he had a good eye for beautiful stone carvings. By 1907, he had built a high-quality collection for a low cost. He reportedly paid $25,000 for the Trie buildings, $25,000 for Bonnefont, and $100,000 for the Cuxa cloisters. He even claimed to have found a tomb statue being used as a bridge! By 1914, he had enough art to open a gallery in Manhattan.
Barnard often forgot about his own money and was disorganized. He sometimes lost track of where his art came from. In 1925, during a money problem, he sold his collection to John D. Rockefeller Jr.. The architect William W. Bosworth introduced them. Rockefeller bought the collection for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. These pieces became the main part of The Cloisters museum. Rockefeller and Barnard were very different people. Rockefeller was quiet, while Barnard was lively. An art critic named Roger Fry helped them work together. Rockefeller bought Barnard's collection for about $700,000. He also kept Barnard as an advisor.
In 1927, Rockefeller hired Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. to design a park in the Fort Washington area. In 1930, Rockefeller offered to build The Cloisters for the Metropolitan Museum. He decided to build the museum on a 66.5-acre site in Fort Tryon Park. They chose this spot because it was high up, had great views, and was easy to reach but still felt private. The land and old buildings were bought that year. Charles Collens designed The Cloisters building and its 4-acre gardens. He used parts from old abbeys in Spain and France. Pieces from Sant Miquel de Cuixà, Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, Bonnefont-en-Comminges, Trie-sur-Baïse, and Froville were carefully taken apart. They were shipped to New York City and put back together. Construction took five years, starting in 1934. In 1933, Rockefeller also gave hundreds of acres of the New Jersey Palisades cliffs to a park commission. This was to protect the land from being built on. The Cloisters opened on May 10, 1938.
Early Art Acquisitions
Rockefeller paid for many of the first artworks for the museum. He often bought them himself and then gave them to the museum. His support made the museum a great example of how amazing art can be collected with a lot of money. Another big donor was J. P. Morgan, a rich industrialist. He spent the last 20 years of his life buying art. After he died, his son, J. P. Morgan Jr., gave many pieces from his collection to the Metropolitan Museum.
Another important source of early art was the dealer Joseph Brummer. He was a friend of James Rorimer, a curator at The Cloisters. Rorimer knew Brummer's collection was important. After Brummer died suddenly in 1947, Rorimer bought many objects. These pieces, including items made of gold, silver, and ivory, are now in the Treasury room at The Cloisters.
The Cloisters Art Collection
The museum has about 5,000 art pieces. They are shown in different rooms and areas. The Cloisters doesn't just collect famous masterpieces. Instead, the art is chosen to fit the theme and feeling of the architectural settings. Many pieces, like stone carvings, stained glass, and windows, are built right into the museum's architecture.
Paintings and Sculptures
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The most famous painting at the museum is Mérode Altarpiece by Robert Campin. It was made around 1425–28. This painting is very important for understanding early Dutch art. It has been at The Cloisters since 1956. Rockefeller paid for its purchase. Other paintings include a Nativity altarpiece and the Jumieges panels.
The 12th-century English walrus ivory Cloisters Cross has over 92 detailed carvings. Another 12th-century French metal reliquary cross has engravings on its sides. Other notable pieces include a 13th-century English Enthroned Virgin and Child statue. There's also a German statue of Saint Barbara from around 1490. You can also see fountains, chairs, and old playing cards.
The museum has many medieval European frescoes. It also has ivory statues, and shrines made of wood and metal. There are also rare Gothic boxwood miniatures. Many pieces are not tied to a specific building part. So, their location in the museum might change. Some objects have interesting stories. For example, the Unicorn tapestries were once used by the French army to cover potatoes! Rockefeller bought the tapestries in 1922. Six of them hung in his New York home until he gave them to the museum in 1938.
Illuminated Manuscripts
The museum's collection of illuminated books is small but very high quality. J.P. Morgan gave many early pieces. However, he kept most of his rare books at the Morgan Library. The Cloisters focused on architectural parts and sculptures. The books are now in the Treasury room. They include the French "Cloisters Apocalypse" (around 1330). Also, Jean Pucelle's "Hours of Jeanne d'Evreux" (around 1324–28). And the "Psalter of Bonne de Luxembourg" by Jean Le Noir. Plus, the "Belles Heures du Duc de Berry" (around 1399–1416) by the Limbourg brothers. In 2015, The Cloisters bought a small Dutch Book of Hours by Simon Bening. All these books are very special.
The "Cloisters Apocalypse" has a family symbol that suggests it was made for the de Montigny family in Normandy. It looks like other Norman illuminated books from that time. The book was in Switzerland by 1368. The Met bought it in 1968.
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The "Hours of Jeanne d'Evreux" is a tiny book with 209 pages. It has 25 full-page pictures. It's decorated with gray drawings and almost 700 pictures in the borders. Jeanne d'Évreux was the third wife of Charles IV of France. After they died, the book went to Charles' brother. The gray drawings make the figures look like sculptures. The pictures show French Gothic architecture from that time. This book is called "the high point of Parisian court painting".
The "Belles Heures" is one of the best illuminated manuscripts still existing. Few books are so richly decorated. It's the only complete book by the Limbourg brothers that we still have. Rockefeller bought it in 1954 and gave it to the Metropolitan Museum.
The "Bonne de Luxembourg" manuscript is very small. It's believed to be by Jean le Noir. It often shows themes of death. It was made for Bonne de Luxembourg, Duchess of Normandy. She was the daughter of John the Blind and wife of John II of France. It was probably made around 1348–49. The museum bought it in 1969.
Tapestries
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You can find textile art all over the museum. But two rooms are just for tapestries. These are the South Netherlandish Nine Heroes (around 1385) and the Flemish The Hunt of the Unicorn (around 1500). The Nine Heroes room is next to the Cuxa cloisters. These 14th-century tapestries are some of the oldest still around. They are thought to be the original designs by Nicolas Bataille. It took over twenty years to collect them. More than 20 pieces were bought and sewn together. The figures show famous heroes: three pagans, three Jews, and three Christians. Five figures are still there: Hector, Caesar, Joshua, David, and Arthur.
You can enter The Hunt of the Unicorn room from the Nine Heroes hall. It has a door carved with unicorns from the 16th century. The unicorn tapestries are large, colorful hangings. They were designed in Paris and made in Brussels or Liège. They are known for their bright colors, like blue, yellow-brown, red, and gold. They also show many different plants. They were made for Anne of Brittany around 1495–1505. Rockefeller bought them in 1922 for about one million dollars. He gave them to the museum in 1937. They were cleaned and fixed in 1998. Now they hang in their own room on the museum's upper floor.
The large "Nativity" tapestry (also called "Christ is Born as Man's Redeemer") is from around 1500. It's from the South Netherlands (probably Brussels). The museum bought it in 1938. It was part of a series of eight tapestries. It was badly damaged over the centuries. It was cut into pieces and poorly fixed many times. It was carefully restored starting in 1971. Today, it hangs in the Late Gothic hall.
Stained Glass
The Cloisters has about 300 stained glass panels. Most are French and German, from the 13th to early 16th centuries. Many are made from handmade glass that looks like opal. The works are known for their bright colors and often abstract designs. Many have a religious image in the middle. Most of these are in the museum's Boppard room. This room is named after a church in Boppard, Germany. The glass works from the High Gothic period show how light creates effects. The Met's collection grew in the early 20th century. At that time, medieval glass was not highly valued.
Jane Hayward, a curator from 1969, said stained glass was "the most important form of Gothic medieval monumental painting". She bought 15th-century windows from the Rhineland. These are now in the Campin room with the Mérode Altarpiece. Hayward's additions led to a new design for the room. This made the pieces look like they were in a home. She wrote that the Campin room is the only gallery in the Met where art for homes is more common than religious art.
Other important pieces include 13th-century gray glass panels from the Château de Bouvreuil in Rouen. There's also glass from the Cathedral of Saint-Gervais-et-Saint-Protais at Sées.
Museum Exterior and Gardens
The museum building is built into a steep hill. So, the rooms are on different levels. The outside of the building is mostly new. But it uses ideas and parts from a 13th-century church in Monsempron, France. Charles Collens designed most of it. He was inspired by Barnard's collection. Rockefeller watched the building's design and construction very closely. This sometimes made the architects and builders frustrated.
The building uses architectural parts from four French abbeys. Between 1934 and 1939, these parts were moved, rebuilt, and combined with new buildings. Collens told Rockefeller that the new building should look simple and natural. He found a building in Monsempron, France, that would work well.
The architects wanted to remember the hill's role in the American Revolution. They also wanted to offer a great view of the Hudson River. Construction of the outside started in 1935. The stone work uses limestone and granite from Europe. It includes four Gothic windows and nine arches. The dome of the Fuentidueña Chapel was hard to fit. The east side of the building has nine arches from a monastery in Froville. It also has four fancy French Gothic windows from a monastery in Sens.
The Cloisters' Gardens
The Cloisters has three gardens: the Judy Black Garden at the Cuxa Cloister, and the Bonnefont and Trie Cloisters gardens. They were planted in 1938. They have many rare medieval plants. There are over 250 types of plants, flowers, herbs, and trees. This makes it one of the most important collections of special gardens in the world. Rorimer supervised the garden design. He was helped by Margaret B. Freeman. She studied how plants were kept and what they symbolized in the Middle Ages. Today, gardeners take care of the gardens. The senior gardeners are also historians of 13th- and 14th-century gardening.
Cuxa Cloister Garden
The Cuxa cloisters are on the main level of the museum. They are the most important part of the museum's structure and theme. They were originally built at the Benedictine Abbey of Sant Miquel de Cuixà in the Spanish Pyrenees. The monastery was founded in 878. It was left empty in 1791 and fell apart. About half of its stone parts were moved to New York between 1906 and 1907. This was one of the first big projects for the Metropolitan Museum after it bought Barnard's collection. The Cuxa cloisters opened to the public on April 1, 1926.
The square-shaped garden was once a central area where monks slept. The original garden had walkways around arches with carved tops. It's hard to show only medieval plants now. The plants in the Cuxa garden are close guesses by experts. The oldest plan of the original building mentions lilies and roses. The walls are new, but the carved tops and columns are original. They are made from pink marble from the Pyrenees. A fountain with eight sides is at the center of the walkways.
The carved tops were made at different times. So, they have many shapes and patterns. These include leaves, pine cones, and religious figures like Christ and angels. There are also strange creatures like two-headed animals and lions held by apes. These designs come from old stories or represent nature or evil. They are also based on writings by monks from the 11th and 12th centuries. We don't know the original order of the carved tops. This makes them hard to understand. But they probably weren't meant to tell a continuous story.
Saint-Guilhem Cloister Garden
The Saint-Guilhem cloisters came from the Benedictine monastery of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert. They date from 804 AD to the 1660s. Barnard bought them around 1906. About 140 pieces, including carved tops, columns, and pillars, were moved to New York. The carvings on the marble pillars look like Roman sculptures. They have fancy leaves and vines. The carved tops show acanthus leaves and strange heads. These include figures from the Presentation at the Temple and Daniel in the Lions' Den. There are also several pillars and columns. The carvings seem to focus on the evils of hell.
The Guilhem cloisters are inside the museum's upper level. They are much smaller than they were originally. The garden has a central fountain and plants in fancy pots. A 15th-century glazed pot is one example. The area has a skylight and glass panels. These keep it warm in winter. Rockefeller first wanted a high roof. But he was convinced to install a skylight. This lets light fall naturally on the sculptures.
Bonnefont Cloister Garden
The Bonnefont cloisters were put together from several French monasteries. Most parts come from a 12th-century Cistercian abbey at Bonnefont-en-Comminges. The abbey was whole until at least 1807. By the 1850s, all its architectural parts were removed. Barnard bought the stonework in 1937. Today, the Bonnefont cloisters have 21 double carved tops. They surround a garden with many medieval features. These include a central wellhead, raised flower beds, and wattle fences. The marbles are very fancy and decorated. Some have strange figures. The garden has a medlar tree, like those in The Hunt of the Unicorn tapestries. The wellhead in the center was placed at Bonnefont-en-Comminges in the 12th century. The Bonnefont is on the upper level of the museum. It offers a view of the Hudson River and the cliffs of the Palisades.
Trie Cloister Garden
The Trie cloisters were made from two French structures from the late 15th to early 16th centuries. Most parts came from the Carmelite convent at Trie-sur-Baïse in France. Its original abbey was destroyed in 1571. Small, narrow supports were added in New York in the 1950s. The rectangular garden has about 80 types of plants. It has a tall limestone fountain in the middle. Like the Saint-Guilhem cloisters, the Trie cloisters have modern roofs.
The convent at Trie-sur-Baïse had about 80 white marble carved tops. They were made between 1484 and 1490. Eighteen were moved to New York. They show many Bible scenes and stories of saints. Some carvings are not religious. These include figures like Saint George and the Dragon and a "wild man". The carved tops are placed in order. They start with God creating the world. Then Adam and Eve, the Binding of Isaac, and Matthew and John writing their gospels. Carved tops in the south gallery show scenes from the life of Christ.
Inside The Cloisters Museum
Gothic Chapel
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The Gothic chapel is on the museum's ground level. It was built to show its stained glass and large sculptures. The entrance from the upper level has stained glass windows. These windows were from the church of La Tricherie, France. The ground level is entered through a large door on its east wall. This entrance has a pointed Gothic arch and high, vaulted ceilings. The three middle windows are from the church of Sankt Leonhard in Austria. They are from around 1340. The glass panels show Martin of Tours and complex patterns. The glass on the east wall is from Évron Abbey, France. It dates from around 1325.
The main windows in the apse have three large sculptures. Two are larger-than-life female saints from the 14th century. One is a Bishop from the 13th century. A large limestone sculpture of Saint Margaret is by the stairs. It's from around 1330. It came from a church in Lleida, Spain.
Six tomb statues are great examples of tomb art. Three are from the Monestir de Santa Maria de Bellpuig de les Avellanes in Spain. The tomb facing the main windows is of Jean d'Alluye. He was a knight from the crusades. He is shown as a young man in armor. A female tomb statue from Normandy is from the mid-13th century. She is dressed in fancy clothes.
Four tombs were made for the Urgell family. They are set into the chapel walls. They are connected to a church in Castello de Farfanya, Spain. The fancy tomb of Ermengol VII, Count of Urgell (died 1184) is on the left wall. It is held up by three stone lions. It also shows Christ in Majesty and the Twelve Apostles. The other three Urgell tombs are from the mid-13th century. They might be for Àlvar of Urgell and his second wife, and a young boy. The double tomb on the opposite wall shows his parents. Their heads rest on cushions. The man's feet rest on a dog. An angel holds the cushion under the woman's head.
Fuentidueña Chapel
The Fuentidueña chapel is the museum's biggest room. You enter it through a wide oak door with sculptures of leaping animals. Its main feature is the Fuentidueña Apse. This is a round Romanesque recess. It was built between about 1175 and 1200 at the Saint Joan church in Fuentidueña, Spain. By the 19th century, the church was old and falling apart.
Rockefeller bought it for The Cloisters in 1931. This involved many years of talks between the Spanish church and both countries' governments. It was traded for six frescoes from San Baudelio de Berlanga. The structure was taken apart into almost 3,300 stone blocks. Each block was listed, and they were shipped to New York in 839 crates.
It was rebuilt at The Cloisters in the late 1940s. It was such a big project that a former exhibition room had to be torn down. The chapel opened to the public in 1961.
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The apse has a wide arch leading to a rounded ceiling. It ends with a half-dome. The carved tops at the entrance show the Adoration of the Magi and Daniel in the lions' den. The pillars show Martin of Tours on the left. The angel Gabriel announces to The Virgin on the right. The chapel also has other medieval art. In the dome, there's a large fresco from 1130 to 1150. It's from the Spanish Church of Sant Joan de Tredòs. The fresco's colors look like a Byzantine mosaic. It is about Mary as the mother of God. A crucifix hangs in the apse. It was made between 1150 and 1200. Its back shows the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God). The outside wall has three small, narrow windows. They are designed to let in as much light as possible. These small windows and strong walls make the church feel simple and serious.
Langon Chapel
The Langon chapel is on the museum's ground level. Its right wall was built around 1126. The chapel has a single aisle and transepts. These came from a small Benedictine church built around 1115. When it was bought, it was falling apart. About three-quarters of its original stonework was moved to New York.
You enter the chapel from the Romanesque hall through a large, fancy stone entrance. This doorway was made for Moutiers-Saint-Jean Abbey in France. The abbey was attacked and rebuilt many times. In 1567, soldiers removed the heads from two kings. In 1797, the abbey was sold for its stones. The site was in ruins for decades. Barnard arranged for the entrance to be moved to New York. This doorway was the main entrance of the abbey.
The carvings on the white limestone doorway show the Coronation of the Virgin. It has carved tops and small statues of angels. Large sculptures on either side of the doorway show early Frankish kings. These are Clovis I (died 511) and his son Chlothar I (died 561). The pillars have detailed rows of small statues. Most are in niches and are badly damaged. Seven carved tops from the original church still exist. They have carvings of people or heads. Some have been identified as historical figures, like Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Romanesque Hall
The Romanesque hall has three large church doorways. The main visitor entrance is next to the Guilhem Cloister. The huge arched doorway is from Moutier-Saint-Jean de Réôme in France. It dates to around 1150. Two animals are carved into the keystones. They look like they are about to fight. The carved tops have carvings of real and imagined animals and birds, as well as leaves. The two older doorways are from Reugny, Allier, and Poitou in central France. The hall has four large stone sculptures from the early 13th century. They show the Adoration of the Magi. There are also frescoes of a lion and a wyvern. These are from the Monastery of San Pedro de Arlanza in Spain. On the left are portraits of kings and angels, also from the Moutier-Saint-Jean monastery. The hall has three pairs of columns over an entrance. They were taken from a church at Reugny. The Reugny site was badly damaged during wars. Most of the structures were sold to a local man by 1850. Barnard bought them in 1906.
Treasury Room
The Treasury room opened in 1988 to celebrate the museum's 50th birthday. It mostly has small, valuable objects. Many came from the collection of Joseph Brummer. The room has the museum's illuminated manuscripts. It also has a French 13th-century silver arm-shaped container for relics. And a 15th-century deck of playing cards.
Museum Library and Archives
The Cloisters has one of the Metropolitan Museum's 13 libraries. It focuses on medieval art and architecture. It has over 15,000 books and journals. It also holds the museum's old papers, curator notes, and Barnard's personal papers. There are old glass slides of museum items, maps, and recordings of music played at the museum. The library is mainly for museum staff. But researchers, art dealers, and students can visit by appointment. The archives have early drawings and plans from when the museum was being built. They also have historical photos. These include photos of medieval objects and pictures from after World War II showing damage to monuments. These photos are very important for art historians.
Museum Management
The Cloisters is managed by the board of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Metropolitan's collections are owned by a private group of about 950 members. The board of trustees has 41 elected members. It also includes officials from New York City and people honored by the museum. The current chairman of the board is Daniel Brodsky. He was elected in 2011.
New Art and Exhibitions
The Cloisters is a special museum. It regularly buys new artworks and rarely sells them. The Metropolitan Museum as a whole spent $39 million on new art in 2012. The Cloisters tries to have a balance of religious and non-religious art. It looks for pieces that show what daily life was like in medieval Europe. In 2011, it bought The Falcon's Bath. This is a tapestry from the Southern Netherlands, made around 1400–1415. It is very high quality and well-preserved. Another important recent purchase was a Book of Hours by Simon Bening in 2015.
The museum's settings and acoustics make it a great place for music and medieval plays. Famous plays performed here include The Miracle of Theophilus in 1942. And The Second Shepherds' Play in 1954. Recent exhibitions include "Small Wonders: Gothic Boxwood Miniatures" in 2017.
Images for kids
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Capital from the monastery of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, French (Languedoc), after 804
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Virgin and Child, French (Burgundy), 1130-1140
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Reliquary Cross, metalwork, French, c. 1180
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Lancet window, French (Normandy), c. 1250–1300
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Enthroned Virgin and Child, ivory, English, c. 1290–1300
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The Crucified Christ, ivory, from Paris, c. 1300
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Leaf from the Hours of Jeanne d'Evreux, illuminated manuscript, French, c. 1324–28
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Detail from the International Gothic Reliquary Shrine, attributed to Jean de Touyl, c. 1325–50
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Amatory Brooch, German, c. 1340–60
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Appliqué Figure of Christ, French, 13th century
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Alexander the Great or Hector of Troy, (detail), tapestry, France or South Lowlands, c. 1400–10
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Apostle Spoon, silver, partial gilt, British, c. 1470
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Adoration of the Magi, German, c. 1470–80
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Nativity of the Virgin (detail), German, c. 1480
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Statuette of Saint Barbara, limewood with paint, probably German, c. 1490
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See also
In Spanish: The Cloisters para niños
