Arch of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine

While the Cathedral of St. John the Divine is now largely Gothic in style, its original design was inspired by Byzantine and Romanesque examples. These influences are still visible today in the interior and exterior of the domed transept crossing, which was one of the building’s first aboveground elements to be realized. In his print, Mielatz captured the towering presence of the new arched structure in the contemporary landscape of Morningside Heights. Surrounded by a halo of light in an otherwise dramatically dark sky, the site appears blessed with divine favor. In reality, the cathedral remains unfinished, in part because its construction was fraught with unexpected delays and setbacks.