Our Saviour Roman Catholic Church (Manhattan)

Church of Our Saviour is a Roman Catholic parish church in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 59 Park Avenue and 38th Street in Manhattan, New York City. The land for the church was acquired in 1953 for a new building to replace St. Gabriel Church, which was demolished in 1939 to make way for the Queens–Midtown Tunnel.[3] The parish was established in 1955 and the church was constructed from 1957 to 1959.[4][5]

Church of Our Saviour
General information
Architectural styleRomanesque
Town or cityNew York, New York
CountryUnited States of America
Construction started1957
Completed1959
ClientRoman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
Design and construction
Architect(s)Paul C. Reilly[1][2]
Website
Our Savior Catholic Church, Manhattan

In 2015 the parish of St. Stephen/Our Lady of the Scapular merged with the parish of Our Saviour. This included the Chapel of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary which had previously merged with St. Stephen/OLS.[6]

Building

The church was designed by Paul C. Reilly, who was also known for his design of Manhattan theaters.[1][2] It was the first church built in New York City that was designed to accommodate air conditioning; the cooling equipment is hidden in the tower.[7]

The church of St. Stephen the Martyr contained a series of paintings depicting the Stations of the Cross executed by Constantino Brumidi, beginning in 1868. Brumidi's Stations have been restored and the frames regilded. In March 2016 they were installed in Our Saviour,[8] the parish church of the new merged parish of Our Saviour, St. Stephen and Our Lady of the Scapular, and the Chapel of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.[9]

Controversy

In 2001, Father George Rutler was appointed pastor of the Parish of Our Savior.[10] He reintroduced the traditional liturgies of the Latin Rite and commissioned a church renovation which included icons by artist Ken Woo.[11] In 2013, a new pastor replaced Rutler, Father Robert Robbins, removed the artwork, causing complaints to be aired from both the Catholic and artistic communities. Robbins also discontinued the traditional rites.[12][13]

References
  1. Dunlap, David W. (2004). From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 170. ISBN 0231125437. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  2. "Paul C. Reilly, 94, Architect And a Catholic Lay Leader". The New York Times. September 13, 1984. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  3. "New St. Gabriel Site Acquired by Catholics". The New York Times. April 16, 1953. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  4. Rowland, Stanley Jr. (June 28, 1957). "3 Cornerstones Set by Spellman; Foundling and Misericordia Hospitals and Our Saviour Church Cost $23,400,000". The New York Times. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  5. "Mass Dedicates Park Ave. Church; Spellman Presides at Rite After Blessing Edifice of Our Saviour". The New York Times. September 28, 1959. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  6. Dolan, Timothy Michael (November 2, 2014). "Decree of the Merger of the Parish of Our Saviour, New York, NY and the Parish of St. Stephen/Our Lady of the Scapular, New York, NY"" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 1, 2015.
  7. Morrone, Francis (Winter 1993). "Classical New York". City Journal. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  8. Sheridan, Chris (March 30, 2016). "Restored Brumidi Stations Now Hang At Our Saviour". Catholic New York.
  9. The Roman Catholic Parish of Our Saviour, St. Stephen and Our Lady of the Scapular, and the Chapel of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary
  10. "Fr. George W. Rutler".
  11. Mindlin, Alex (October 31, 2004). "At a Park Ave. Church, a 'Nice, Friendly Face'". The New York Times. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  12. Staff (July 24, 2015) "New York parishioners protest removal of beloved artwork from historic church" CatholicCulture.org
  13. Frankovich, Nicholas (July 25, 2015) "On Park Avenue, a Picture of the Catholic Church Divided" National Review

40°44′57.21″N 73°58′45.33″W

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