Peace Fountain at St John the Divine

wonder | wander | women travel back in time to the last tour we were on together, St. John the Divine Cathedral in New York City. We arrived early and spent some time in the sculpture garden beside the cathedral, home of the famous Peace Fountain.

The fountain was created by sculptor Greg Wyatt, artist-in-residence at St. John the Divine, in 1985. A gorgeous bronze edifice, it mixes mythological symbols with science: Michael defeats Satan over figures of the sun and moon, but there are also giraffes, crabs and a DNA helix to symbolise life.

It reminded us of a modern Hieronymous Bosch, a beautiful but unsettling mix of earthly and heavenly references. Wyatt provided a plaque explaining the work, which is just as poetic and ominous as the Peace Fountain itself.

The full text of the plaque is also on the Peace Fountain page on Wikipedia. Although designed as a fountain, there’s no water running through it; the work is simply a centerpiece for the garden.

More little sculptures encircle the fountain: tiny animals sculpted by schoolchildren and cast in bronze.

This group is called the Children’s Sculpture Garden. Primary school and grade school students from NYC and the surrounding area were asked to make these little statues representing the diverse community served by the Cathedral.

Around the plaza containing the Peace Fountain and the children’s sculptures stand plaques symbolising the range of human thought and knowledge throughout history.

There are plaques representing religious beliefs and teachings.

There are allegorical scenes of beasts, demons and angels, and more plaques teaching lessons of universal peace.

The sculpture grounds of St. John the Divine remind us that service to the community should be imaginative, diverse and inclusive. We hope that we can be safely welcome in our favourite NYC church again soon!