Saint Bartholomew's Church in New York City (often known as "St. Bart's") offers an example of early twentieth-century appreciation of the Byzantine aesthetic. In 1918 the St. Bart's congregation moved from its building at Madison Avenue and 44th Street to a grand structure in the Romanesque style on Park Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets. In 1930, Hildreth Meière (American, 1892–1961) designed a series of mosaics for the narthex and the apse. For the apse, Meière chose to depict the scene of the Transfiguration. Meière's selection of this scene for the apse was a clear reference to the sixth-century mosaic in Saint Catherine's Monastery at Sinai.
In both monuments, Christ stands against a golden background surrounded by a mandorla, or almond-shaped ring of bright colors and rays of light. The vivid rays illustrate the emphasis in the synoptic gospels on the brightness and whiteness of Christ. The Sinai mosaic shows the apostles literally knocked over by the light emanating from Christ. They tumble dramatically and shield their eyes from the wondrous sight. The St. Bart's mosaic shows a different reaction; though no less aware of the central scene, the apostles remain standing. Saint Peter, the apostle standing alone on the left side of the composition, actually resembles Saint Apollinaris as he appears in the mosaic at Sant'Apollinare in Classe, in Ravenna.
Hildreth Meière's extraordinary work appears in buildings—both secular and religious—throughout New York City • AE
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