New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-12-14
A MONASTERY OF TODAY,
uonoKrN,s MASSIVE PILE OF STONE.

Lacking down Thrty-fourth-st. toward 'no
acting sun any fine aftcrnooa. one peuo'o, az W"
end O! the long perspective, IN aiin"s' S'''"e
lief against the glowing sky, massive "'"'0
crowued c,lilice hig;.upliited above the mountain
on. plateau of the Palisades. Its actual "i"'
,ions are much mysiided in the violent co"''''' "
the silhouette outlines against the bt'ihtn' "'r
mir. 1t is remote, seemingly lnaccess'"'' IL
,eird seclusioa. and It is natural enough 10 won
der whether il is tomb, u mausoeunl' OF w"'ii'
,.scI of tho tiles of busy life that ebo ana no"
viii such ,uprtuous pace in the great world peio"'
M,r,ds YEAR in and out, look upon It, wonder io'
q moment. and 1T the mystery slip OUT OIL h'hu'
For more than ten years TINS group Vi '0'
loo homes has commanded that west
crn landscape. Meantime the outlying
world has little by little learned some'nlns
of asirangc order of monks,whc, some twchty-hVe
Years ago made a home i'll the ncighborhood' ana
little by little somewhat after the slow ana
soid fashion of the coral builders reare TINS mon
ns,erv witt, its grand, grim church, dedicated 10
&. Michael the warrior SAINT of the calendar.
With a few Introductory letters and Key 10 inc
.ircuitous and obscure route, TRIBUNE reporter
found himself steaming toward llobokch iioii ''o
foot of Christopher-st and after rue Oh nhoio
than three miles zg-zagging down ana up inc shoie
landed at a crossing on the heights Ill hcah'y
buiIt street of irregular wooden houses, many VI
them half shanty. half cottage that leadS lroh INC
hr,,k of the plateau upward aud westward to the
doors of the great church. Struggling uhtnr''S
scttlsmcnt seems to have crcpt up timidy from the
south and paused exhausted at the very loot Oh 'c
church. Standing there, the facade is singulary
impressve vet the glamour of excepuohai
xastness fade, like mirage lilch
of the atmosphere. For while the steep apex r'S'S
10 more than 100 feet hanled by the finely pro-
portioncd square towers. engaged at either corner
with their buoyant, haf-lloatng domcs soaring lar
higher the grand central dome when cohu'ahuS
the whole structure, although 1t Is almost hihoS
foot in diameter and rises with consummate grace
toan altitude of quite 200 feet, Is so Tar rehreu
from the spectator that 1t is virtually suppressed
and he must actually return to New-York to eaten
the rne note of grandeur ii not submity, that ex-
plains the architects conception.
rur IMPRESSIVE INTERIOR OF THE CHURCH.
The church is cruciform IN plan, and Byzantine
Romanesque in type, strongly mod'hed oy 'ho SC
we're asccticism OF mOuastic and conVentual arch
lecture In close keeping, the material IL the o'aok
fuucreal trnp-rock of the Paltsade formation WINE
slight rcliei is found in spare use OF sandstone Ia
The Iiniola. strlug cour.cs an1 intablatureA Inc
interior dt,closes the true dignity and soemhlN oil
The design Great square piers sustain the clcrostory
walls which are pierced with lights, leaving narrow
n,srs with circular ceilings full forty oet III h"lRh"
The circular arch prevails throughout. Tho inter.
section oi tho great nave anu 'l'"''F - I'' ''''
impressive StANuhR ""'V"S "'''' ~,
dome h'i"to INV S',' III. 60
nearly ~" io'' I" WI" '"' on e,,tt.lh,
head The nave ana ue"',p'' "'' w WV 81,
,be nnyc IL 200 icet In cngth from vcStlhnlo To
.,,c,nnrv wall and O9 fect ia width, and the tram
sanctuary ".' "'' 10 .r,', r,n .,nctn,ry -
arsll,l Az tho c,nirc il the high altar,
rising nearly forty feet 70 its final cross
There is wealth of elaborate decoration
and enumeration. Above t"o '"p'r""''o IN"
. ,,,.l.. ,,,1olla1 cram I'm bron2c of 81.
MrLr,l and fLc Dragon. The two slide altars arc
ia,,,'f',Ii,, disnn.ed aud there are n fourth and
ftfb nj thc ends of the TRANSCRIPTS. IN" sanctuary
,'i,,',' o,',',,s oroud and across those tunsept,
,"tii 4 reaches the ,lc of intersection with tAe
al>lcs. resulting in wonderful sp"cly iahe''
80 or" if..izc rnlogcd statue, o. the lo.t.c,
and tbr Tynoeciists IN the finest Munich work. \
iarrc orgln iii, The only gallery above tive por'h
m Inc ct~t. The interior decoration Is Temporary,
and viii in time give way for the costliesi WORK.
Tlr HOME or TIE P,ssiONIsr.
A,,h, sosth Of thc church ffcnt. gate opens
,,to. rouohly kent carlen reaching down and
olonc the church wall until We reach he monastery
lnilding stretching sjuth NOR, than 100 feet. aEd
- r;,i,t-,n,ic. with the church. OF which
is hv constitution, part. Here is the
com. fu,crcal trap-rocll Tho building is
s""' I;,,,,. In. r.,,lli,oi, ~; h,ao';
io'" s'"i'o' ~ - '' -, 1.,l, Ma
baroness, which Is bT"Nci o'N p' "'''. ""''
md its cross rising above the cn'ranc" porch
,I,,. h-o,l,or answer, the bell. 4 bare. d,.opt
y 10y ,,.,,,. f,,,, e,thor .ile nj the hall
rcccpron-roOu opens non ei,Ie' '',o "a ~" nam
4 few religious pictures on the walls WI'h hcie
.nl there a n'gster cast or stdtuettc % Sonr dig
h'talA oi SAUL az '' =; ~,
Religion Is the business ana oIly D''-'''' Ia '''S
borse
-, -s f,,,, l.l ahout ono hln lrod Years
ms o'"'' vs. NV 90, o,d :, thor.f,,,
ago by IT. Ia'd III '"o N'o'' "-'
nearly or quite c)Gtc nporancous with the he
5o.,,,,ori.ts and their founder. =. Alphonsus dc