Travel: Albany, True Gothic Cathedral

All Saints Cathedral in Albany, New York is one of the American churches that let visitors take double take.

Hiding on a side street near the New York State Capitol, the Sandstone Cathedral feels like it belongs to somewhere in England. Everything about it is medieval, from flying buttresses and pointed windows filled with stained glass to intricately carved baptismal fonts.

The bishop of Albany’s seat was the first cathedral for the Church of England in America. The cornerstone was placed in 1884 with the governor (and subsequent president) Grover Cleveland.

In particular, the cathedral was constructed using traditional techniques. In other words, arches, vaults, and flying buttresses are not decorative. It’s more than a Gothic costume, serving a structural purpose.

The final touches have passed through a massive benefactor of a golden age benefactor, including financial operator JP Morgan. As a result, worshipers are retreated for centuries, even if they stand from a small block from the modern politics of the Imperial state.

Without a doubt, the Anglican Church of Albany can be said that they have one better example of Gothic revival anywhere in the United States.

Augustus WN Pugin, the champion of the Gothic Revival in the 19th century, would have approved the design of architect Robert Wilson, who was said to have been inspired by the great British cathedrals of Canterbury, Lincoln and St. Albans.

Or at least how his designs have been implemented up until now. Only about 40% of the original design cathedrals are built. The Twin Towers do not rise to the west front. The intersection to soar through heaven never ended.

This is probably most noticeable in the west front, which serves as the main entrance. Here, a simple façade built in the early 1970s looks temporary at best and cheap at worst. With modern glass doors, it does not bring justice to the rest of the architecture.

Dean, very pastor Leander Harding, spoke optimistically about finishing all the saints when he showed me after a recent Sunday service.

However, the reality is harsh.

The Anglican Church, like many mainline Protestant denominations, has seen decades of decline. Even if the numbers are stable, exorbitant costs guarantee a cathedral and assure it remains unfinished like the more famous cousin, St. John’s Cathedral in New York City.

Even incomplete, what exists today is still extraordinary. The cathedral is a functioning home of worship, and not a museum, visitors who come for the service experience it as intended.

If you’re going

The best way to visit the Cathedral of all saints is to participate in the service. Services will be held Sundays at 8am and 10am, Monday through Friday at 12:05pm, Saturday at 8:30am and 9am.

Plan to arrive a little earlier. Sit in the middle of the nave for the best viewpoint of the choir and the altar. Then make sure you have time to wander quietly and incorporate the details. Outside, the building is circled. The buttress is the most impressive.

Dennis Lennox is a travel column for Christian Post.