In my last blog, I voted the Great Northern Clock Tower as Spokane’s most iconic structure. Among the runners-up was the Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, without doubt one of the city’s great landmarks. The church doesn’t merely sit on a bluff overlooking downtown Spokane. It soars over 150 feet above the city, a Gothic creation of tower, spires, stained glass windows, and gable roofs pointing the way to the heavens. I’ve visited the church several times, for concerts, bazaars, and services. There’s definitely a spiritual grandeur here. Recently, I decided to take a closer look, though the cathedral website, brochures, and a personal tour.
A bit of history:
In addition to its function as the seat of the Episcopal Diocese of eastern Washington and northern Idaho, the cathedral figures prominently in the storied history of Spokane. In the 1920s Spokane was the wealthy urban hub of the Inland Northwest. The Episcopal bishop at the time wanted an equally prominent church: three congregations united, and construction on the cathedral began. By 1929 the part of the church closest to Grand Avenue, the nave, was completed, but the Depression and World War II put a stop on further construction. A wall closed off the unfinished portion of the building, and for almost two decades parishioners worshipped in that small space. On my personal tour of the cathedral, I learned an interesting fact: During the war, city officials, fearing the sparkling stained glass windows might attract enemy planes to Spokane, directed the windows to be blacked out. To this day, those windows remain darker than others installed after the war. In 1948, work began again, and by 1961 the cathedral as we know it was completed.
Who is St. John the Evangelist?
St. John the Evangelist, also referred to as John the Apostle, is considered one of the disciples closest to Jesus. An important figure in the Jerusalem church after Jesus died, he is thought to be the only apostle to live to old age. Most Christian churches believe he wrote the Gospel of John, the Epistles of John, and the Book of Revelation. To me, his verses about the word becoming flesh and the light coming into the world in the first chapter of the Gospel of John are among the most hauntingly beautiful in the Bible.
Architecture:
St. John’s is one of few classic Gothic cathedrals found in the U.S. When viewed from above, the building forms the shape of a Latin cross, with a central nave, a sanctuary, and two transepts, all of which come together in a central space, called the crossing, under the main tower. It is of solid masonry – stone from Washington, sandstone from Idaho, and limestone from Indiana. Intricate carvings in both wood and stone celebrate various aspects of Christianity – the pulpit carvings highlight five great preachers, including John the Baptist; and the lectern features Martin Luther and three other biblical scholars.
Stained glass windows:
Perhaps most spiritually dazzling are the stained glass windows. Beautiful works of art in their own right, they also visually represent important events in the life of Christ as well as major figures of the Old and New Testaments, the history of the Christian Church, and even religious events in the Inland Northwest. The breathtaking Gothic West Rose Window above the main entrance is named for its round shape and stone tracery that suggests petals. The theme for each window was decided at the time the cathedral was designed. There remain several windows filled with simple glass colors that await generous donors to fund their completion.
Music:
The massive cathedral organ consists of an elaborate console and over 4,000 pipes. Combined with the cathedral’s fine acoustics, it is one of the premier places to hear organ music in the Inland Northwest.
In addition, a carillon was installed in the cathedral tower in 1969. For those who don’t know, a carillon is a set of fixed chromatically tuned bells sounded by hammers controlled by a keyboard. The one at St. John’s has 49 cast bells, weighing from 17 to 5,000 pounds, with a four-octave range. The bells are played before worship services and on special occasions.
There’s more:
The cathedral building sprawls beyond the main house of worship, with three smaller chapels, rooms where parishioners gather, and a columbarium, a structure for storing funeral urns. Located outside, it is shaped to resemble a simple chapel and is surrounded by a meditation garden with a view across the city to mountains in the distance.
At the end of my tour and my research, St. John’s reminds me that humans, able to commit their share of harmful acts, can also create works of great majesty, hope and optimism.