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Welcome to “St. Bart’s,” one of New York City’s great landmark churches. We are committed to a renewal based on powerful worship, unconditional welcome for the seeker, and passionate service to the City. St. Bartholomew's Church Sanctuary Above the altar, the magnificent half-dome of the apse is filled with a gold leaf and glass mosaic of the Transfiguration. Christ is in the center, arms outstretched. The mosaic also depicts Moses and Elijah on the mountaintop, and the figures of Saint Peter, Saint James, and Saint John. This mosaic, as well as the creation cycle dome mosaics in the narthex, were designed by Hildreth Meiere. She later won the Gold Medal of the New York Architectural League for her work at St. Bartholomew's.
St. Bartholomew's Dome Surprisingly, St. Bartholomew's magnificent dome, the church's signature feature, was not part of the original design for the church. Architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue had planned a great central tower as the culmination of the building's exterior. However, church fathers found the cost prohibitive, and the design had to be abandoned. When St. Bartholomew's opened its doors in 1918, the church still lacked an architectural finale. Goodhue would not live to see the project completed. After his death in 1924, Goodhue's associates found his design for the dome of the California State Building at the San Diego Exposition (1911-1915), and adapted it or the St. Bartholomew's project. The dome was completed in 1930. The dome is divided into eight sections, each covered with a marble mosaic cross. On top of the dome, the tip of the slender “Cross of Triumph” stands 148 feet above street level. |
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