St. Gabriel's Church (New Rochelle)
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The Parish of St. Gabriel and of St. Joseph was formed in August 2015 with the merger of the Territorial parish of St. Gabriel on Division Street with the personal parish of St. Joseph on Washington Avenue, both in New Rochelle, NY. St. Gabriel is the parish church. However, St. Joseph "will maintain a regular schedule of Masses and the celebration of other sacraments". Both parishes were established around 1900 through the generosity of the Iselin family.


St. Gabriel's

St. Gabriel's, located in southern end of the city of New Rochelle, New York in
Westchester County Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population ...
, was founded in 1893 by Mrs. Adrian Iselin and family, longtime residents of New Rochelle. The church was a memorial given by Mrs. Adrian Iselin and endowed by her for the Catholics of New Rochelle. The Iselin's made their summer home in New Rochelle. St. Gabriel's was consecrated on May 28, 1893, by Archbishop
Michael Corrigan Michael Augustine Corrigan (August 13, 1839May 5, 1902) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the third archbishop of New York from 1885 to 1902. Early life Michael Augustine Corrigan was born August 13, 1839, in Ne ...
. Rev. John A. Kellner was appointed rector.Lafort, Remigius. ''The Catholic Church in the United States'', Catholic editing Co., 1914, p. 420
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Architecture

The buildings of the parish are distinctly Norman-English in design. The church was built of rough=hewn slabs of Massachusetts blue
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and
limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
with a steeply pitched red
tile Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, walls, edges, or o ...
roof, and two
towers A tower is a tall structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting structures. Towers are specific ...
with a clock and chimes. The adjacent rectory house was built in a corresponding style. The interior features salmon colored brick walls, arched hardwood paneled ceilings and mosaic floors. The decoration of the chancel walls is in old gold and is a near perfect reproduction of the chancel of the San Marco Cathedral in
Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...
. The three chancel windows were designed by Franz Mayer & Co. and represent "the Saviour", "St. Francis de Sales" and "St. Margaret of Scotland". The intricately carved white marble altar is a memorial to Fannie G. Iselin. St. Paul's features 17 impressive stained-glass windows crafted by
Louis Comfort Tiffany Louis Comfort Tiffany (February 18, 1848 – January 17, 1933) was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in stained glass. He is the American artist most associated with the Art NouveauL ...
Studios, The
Gorham Company The Gorham Manufacturing Company is one of the largest American manufacturers of sterling and silverplate and a foundry for bronze sculpture. History Gorham Silver was founded in Providence, Rhode Island, 1831 by Jabez Gorham, a master crafts ...
, Franz Mayer & Co. and
Heaton, Butler and Bayne Heaton, Butler and Bayne were an English firm who produced stained-glass windows from 1862 to 1953. History Clement Heaton (1824–82) Fleming, John & Hugh Honour. (1977) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Decorative Arts. '' London: Allen Lane, p. 371 ...
. The Tiffany windows include "''The Education Of The Virgin''", "''The Annunciation''", "''The Marriage Of Joseph And Mary''" and "''The Baptism of Jesus''". The complete set of memorial windows were gifts of the seven Iselin children in honor of their mother. At the time of its construction, St. Gabriel's was one of the most costly houses of worship in the region. The church building, together with the rectory and a home for the Sisters of Charity, it cost $250,000. Another gift was made when the Iselin's transferred its $100,000 gymnasium building and property to the parish for a school for children. The parochial school was founded in 1898 Mrs. Iselin would later contribute a $30,000 endowment for the continued maintenance and operation of the church. A wood-framed mosaic of Our Lady of Guadalupe by Sviat Makarenko, is enshrined in a small chapel at the rear on the east side of St. Gabriel's Church. It was presented to the parishioners of St. Gabriel's Church by their pastor, Msgr. Patrick V. McNamara in 2003."St. Gabriel's Parish History", Saint Gabriel's Church
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St Joseph's

The personal parish of St. Joseph was founded in 1901 to serve the Italian Catholic community of New Rochelle. A small wooden chapel was built on 4th Street. This was, however, abandoned in 1904, when a new church on Washington Avenue was consecrated by John Cardinal Farley. The building was of red Harvard brick, as was the adjoining rectory. The church, rectory, land and furnishings, costing altogether about $50,000, were the gift of Adrian Iselin, Sr. A parochial school was established in 1909 and was held in the basement of the church until the red brick school was completed in 1912. A convent was built on 5th Street. Both the school and the convent were gifts of Adrian Iselin's daughter, Countess Georgine Iselin. The parish held an annual St. Anthony's Feast and Bazaar, complete with a procession of a statue of the saint around the neighborhood.


See also

*
Adrian Georg Iselin Adrian Georg Iselin (January 17, 1818 – March 28, 1905) was a New York financier who invested in and developed real estate, railroads, and mining operations. For many years during his early business career he was engaged in importing with his ...
- with portrait of donor Eleanora O'Donnnell Iselin


References


External links


St. Gabriel's Historic Stained Glass Windows

Former Panoramio image by Roger King
{{New Rochelle, New York Roman Catholic churches in New Rochelle, New York Roman Catholic churches completed in 1893 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States Roman Catholic parishes in the United States