John the Baptist - 2,100 lbs - Meneeley & Co., Troy NY - 1875 A newspaper article from the 1860s describes it thus: “It is made of black walnut, gracefully carved, and extends upward of 20 feet, where it projects forward about six feet and culminates in pinnacle shape at the height of about 25 feet…Various devices of a religious and ornamental character, including a representation of two angels under the projection above, are ingeniously carved upon it.” This black walnut architectural fantasy, by John Jelliff, a prominent Newark furniture-maker, is one of the finest extant examples of the nineteenth century carver’s art. The most spectacular piece in the cathedral is the Bishop’s cathedra, installed in the 1860s. The renovation of 2000 replaced them with marble reredos in a simplified gothic style. Unfortunately, renovations of the 1970s and 1980s destroyed the reredos of the main altar. The main altar is of elaborately carved wood in the Gothic style. It is a rare example of “double-panning ” the face and hands of the saint are double panes of stained glass. Patrick, over the entrance to the nave is from the nineteenth century and in the Tiffany style.
The windows in the nave, sanctuary, and chapel, of unknown manufacture, referred to in a newspaper report as “Dutch,” were installed in 1924. The oldest windows, dating from the 1860s, are in the sacristy, and in a state of disrepair. The paintings, of which only some remain, including renditions of the coats of arms of the first five bishops of Newark, are by Gonippo Raggi. The pillars, marbleized today, are of brownstone, probably from the Newark or Belleville quarries. The sanctuary was extended to accommodate pontifical ceremonies. They were added within 20 years of construction. The original church did not include the chapel or sacristy. Unlike most examples of Gothic Revival, the designer of the church did not select one simple form for the lacey stone work at the tops of the windows, rather he chose to use multiple examples from the pattern books he referenced, making for an interesting catalogue of Gothic forms. Bosses began as a decorative trick to cover up the inelegant intersections of multiple ribs and ultimately developed, as here, into important architectural details.Īn important element in the architecture of the pro-cathedral is the Gothic tracery of the windows. The vaulting of the ceiling, highlighted by the recent repainting, is a fine example of German Gothic with its cats-cradle of ribbing and heavily foliated, newly gilded, bosses. The architectural details are typical of the period and style, in not being exact copies but highly stylized and freely interpreted renditions. In 2000 the interior was restored and renovated with archdiocesan funds. Recent state budgets have drastically reduced the amount allocated to the repair of historic buildings. No state funds may be used for interior repairs since the interior is dedicated to worship and this would violate state constitutional provisions regarding aid to religion. The state allocates funds to assist in the exterior repair of buildings designated as historic by the New Jersey Historical Commission.
The cost of the exterior work, $1,000,000, was paid in part by the State of New Jersey and part by the Archdiocese. For the 150 th anniversary of the pro-cathedral in 2000, the exterior was cleaned and the bricks pointed. The paint was removed in 1950 for the parish centennial. For many years the pro-cathedral was painted, either in brown or dark red. Patrick’s is constructed of a simple red brick that often was painted over. This simplicity is reflected in the choice of exterior material, brick rather than stone, and the lack of spatial complexity in the interior plan. It was the site of numerous major events, installations of bishops, ordinations of priests, thousands of weddings and baptisms.īuilt in 1850, at the height of the American Gothic Revival, the pro-cathedral is an excellent example of the simpler versions of the style. It served as our cathedral from the establishment of the diocese in 1850 until the dedication of Sacred Heart Cathedral Basilica in 1954. Patrick’s Pro-Cathedral is, in many ways, the mother church of the Archdiocese. It remains the “pro-cathedral” as it retains the original cathedra, or throne, of the archbishops of Newark. Patrick’s remained as the seat of the bishops and archbishops of Newark for over a century until the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart was opened in 1954. Patrick’s to be the “pro-cathedral” until a grander cathedral could be erected. When the diocese was established, Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley designated St. Patrick’s, founded in 1848 and completed in 1850, antedates the founding of the diocese of Newark in 1853.