The Cloisters

 

 The Cloisters

Celebrating the art and architecture of medieval Europe, the Cloisters is located on Hudson River Valley parkland north of New York City. Originally assembled by an American sculptor, George Grey Barnard, the collection was eventually purchased by John D. Rockefeller and is now a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The building, which looks very much like a medieval monastery, was actually constructed in the 1930s using the walls, columns, altars, etc., of real European churches. As a result, the Cloisters provides a peaceful and rather historically-convincing sanctuary away from city life, well worth the long subway or bus ride outside NYC.

The cloisters, themselves, are four-sided architectural features that include a covered walkway surrounding an open courtyard or garden. Despite an unusually cold winter, the gardens were filled with flowers and other flourishing plants. A beautiful day to refresh one’s soul.

 

The central Cuxa Cloister

 

Column detail

 

Smaller over-grown garden cloister

 

Langdon Chapel, constructed with 12th-century

limestone blocks and sculptures from a church in France

 

Lots of statues of the Virgin and baby Jesus

 

Eery half-statue of a religious leader

 

Baby Jesus with apple

 

World-famous 15th-century unicorn tapestry 

donated by John D. Rockefeller

Medieval crypts

 

View of the Hudson River

 

Leaving the Cloisters

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