Cathedral Tour

Baptism marks one's entrance into Christ's Church. It is fitting, therefore, that our baptismal Font, with its steeple-like cover, should stand near a door. [image]

Named for the architect and dedicated in memory of his daughter, the triptych above the altar (painted by Mr. Hewitt) and the windows tell the story of Jesus' early life. The capital carvings show images of hands involved in three different rites of the church: (1) Marriage; (2) Baptism (incorporating the fall of human kind, expulsion from the Garden of Eden, the font of cleansing and restoring water, the intertwining of God's hands with ours); and (3) Confirmation (the laying on of hands). Note that the sanctuary light over the tabernacle is part of a bronze, winged lion, the symbol for Saint Mark. [image]

Designed by the architect to be in the form of a chalice, the pulpit was to symbolize divine guidance through the Water or Life as imparted through preaching. Carved around the pulpit (left to right) are six famous preachers: St. John the Baptist, St. John Chrysostom, St. Francis of Assisi, Girolamo Savonarola, John Wycliffe, and Phillips Brooks.  [image]

In ancient cathedrals, the only copy of Scripture available to the community was chained to the lectern, its reading being so important to worship. Here, three carved figures, Ezekiel, David, and St. John, represent the Hebrew Scriptures, the Psalms, and the New Testament. [image]

Representatives from around the world gathered at Saint Mark's in 1954 for the first World Congress of the Anglican Communion. Along with a silver processional cross bearing enameled shields of the attending provinces, this seal commemorates this event. The Greek inscription reads: "And the truth shall set you free." [image]

In our worship, sacred music is presented as an offering to God, not as a performance; thus the choir stalls do not face the congregation but is situated so as to permit direct access to the altar. [image]

Atop the columns behind the choir you'll find angels praising God with an assortment of musical instruments, two angels with a banner proclaiming Christ's Resurrection, St. Peter attempting to walk on water, and the woman at the well. The capital near the lectern depicts the vine and branches. [image]

Surrounded by cherubs, angels, and the eleven apostles, we see the Ascension of Christ. Seen below (left to right) are:
    St. Stephen, first martyr;
    St. Paul, apostle to the Gentiles;
    St. George, patron saint of England;
    St. Gregory, pope who sent Augustine to Canterbury;
    St. Ambrose, bishop who promoted hymns in worship;
    St. Augustine of Hippo, bishop and writer;
    St. Catherine, martyr and patroness of milling;
    St. Cecilia, martyr and patroness of music;
    Archbishop Cranmer, compiler of the first Book of
        Common Prayer; and 
    Bishop Seabury, first American bishop.

[image]

You are now in the part of the chancel called the sanctuary - derived from sanctus, Latin for holy, and inspired by the place of God's Presence, the Holy of Holies, in the Temple of Jerusalem. The cross is the symbolic center of the Cathedral and is a witness to the sacrifice of Christ, the Lamb of God, the ultimate expression of God's love for humankind. The altar, directly below the cross, is a single monolithic block of Kasota stone; the largest solid mass within the entire cathedral. It is from here that we are led to sing, "Alleluia. Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us; Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia." [image]

Amidst the figures above the high altar, stands Christ, his hands outstretched, inviting us to come to this, his table. At his sides are the four Gospel writers, small figures of Sts. Andrew, Philip, James, and Stephen, and the larger figures of Elijah with a scroll of Prophesy, Moses with the Law, St. Peter with the Key to the Kingdom, and St. Paul with the Sword of the Spirit. [image]

Enmagahbowh, the first Native American Episcopal priest, was a powerful voice for reconciliation between Native Americans and white people from the 1860's until his death in 1902. The icon of Enmegahbowh was created by Minneapolis artist Nick Markell who also created many of the Cathedral's clerestory windows. In this sacred space, the clergy provide the laying on of hands and anointing with oil by which God's grace is given for the healing of spirit, mind and body. [image]

By definition, a cathedral is the bishop's church. To the left of the high altar is the bishop's seat and prayer desk. The crook symbolizes the bishop's responsibility for God's flock. Above the seat, a shield (inset) bearing the Cross and the Native American symbols of the peace pipe and broken tomahawk is a prayer for "Peace through the Blood of the Cross." [image]

Here Paul Grandlund has depicted Jesus reaching out to St. Peter (left), who has sunk while attempting to walk on water, and St. Paul, who was struck down on his way to Damascus. [image]

Just inside the doors to the nave are two figures carved in mahogany. On the left is the young David with his sling. The figure depicted opposite, seeking certainty and courage, is Youth, wrapped in angelic wings, with the inscription: "If I take the wings of the morning...even there shall thy hand hold me."

Notice also the symbols of the Cathedral, the Saint Mark's lion (left), and of the Diocese - with its peace pipe and broken tomahawk representing the peaceful relations which Bishop Whipple sought to establish between Native Americans and immigrants. The two carved faces, representing Saints Peter and Paul, are modeled after ancient murals excavated in Rome. The small shields are for the eleven faithful apostles.

Go up the stairs, through the narthex, and step outside the front doors. The two large figures flanking the entrance are St. Mark and St. Peter. Directly above the doorway is the Cathedral Coat of Arms. Among the six figures over the doorway, we see:

  Cornelia Wright Whipple, wife of the first Bishop,
      her broom and book signifying her roles in the
      founding of St. Mary’s Hall in Faribault;
  James Lloyd Breck, known as “The Apostle of
     All Outdoors;” 
  Samuel Seabury, first American Episcopal Bishop;
  Jackson Kemper, first Bishop to enter Minnesota;
  David Buel Knickerbacker, founder of Saint Mark’s 
    Mission and collector of food for St. Barnabas, 
    the city’s first hospital;
  Peter Trimble Rowe, elected Bishop of Alaska 
    at the General Convention held in Minneapolis 
    in 1895.

At the base of the arch are depicted the heads of Henry Benjamin Whipple, first Bishop of Minnesota, and Stephen Edwards Keeler, the Bishop whose effort led to designating this a cathedral in 1941. 

High above the entrance, overlooking the city, stands a figure of Christ. His right hand is raised in blessing. He is there as we come and leave. He is there whether we enter the building or not.