The Cloisters

This week I visited The Cloisters in New York City. The Cloisters, a branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art is located in Fort Tryon Park on the northwest tip of Manhattan overlooking the Hudson River. This beautiful, enchanting castle is breathtaking. The Cloisters is devoted to the art and architecture of Medieval Europe. As I drove into the park the first thing that caught my eye was the view of the George Washington Bridge and the Hudson River. I parked the car and quickly walked up the trail to the museum entrance. Once inside, I climbed the stone steps two at a time, admiring the limestone covered walls, the wrought iron banisters, antique windows and cathedral sized ceilings.

I proceeded into a courtyard where sunlight splashed onto a garden filled with rows of flowers, crab trees in bloom and a stone fountain. It was a very serene atmosphere. Along the perimeter of the garden were handmade, etched doorways, columns, and doors that led to rooms that held gothic tapestries, historical museum photos, religious paintings, sculptures, alter pieces and unpublished manuscripts and prayer books. The maze of rooms spilled out onto a terrace that surrounded an herb garden, providing another remarkable view of the Hudson. The smells were absolutely delightful.

I rested for a moment and took in the fragrant atmosphere before touring again. On the lower level sat another medieval garden and a café. I grabbed a bite to eat before revisiting a piece that caught my attention earlier. The Death (Dormition) of the Virgin Mary is an alter piece depicting the Apostles administering the last rites of the Virgin Mary. The alter piece was made in the late 15th century in Lower Rhineland, in the western part of Germany. The piece was created in the workshop of Tilman van der Burch and became part of the Cloister’s collection in 1973. The piece was carved out of oak. What made it so interesting is how the artist took isolated figures, the Apostles and the Virgin Mary, and strategically placed them creating a three dimensional structure.

The structure wasn’t very large, I figured it was about 5 feet in length and 4 feet tall. The exact measurements weren’t indicated. It looked like the apostles were visiting Mary in a church where heavy draperies cascaded from the ceiling to the floor, light fixtures hung overhead, lit dimly and sculpted angels covered the church walls. There was a bit of damage to the structure. Some of the apostles were missing hands and objects but that didn’t take away from the wooden beauty. Instead this caused me to imagine what they may have held as they visited Mary for the last time. It also made me wonder what actually took place at such a ritual. Was it a private ceremony exclusively for the apostles or were there others perhaps seated in the church pews? It appears as if one apostle may have held a candle, another looked like he was pouring oil or holy water perhaps to rub on Mary’s skin or on the cloth that shrouded her body. One apostle is kneeling in prayer, while another reads comforting scriptures from the Bible. Although Mary’s spirit was gone, it’s clear that they wanted to make sure that she was respectfully placed and seemed comfortable. The artist took great care in carving out the details of the soft, flowing robes, somber faces, and wall adornments. At certain angles the wood took on a look of marble or stone. It appeared very smooth.

I enjoyed my time at The Cloisters and would definitely visit again perhaps with family and friends. It is definitely one of Manhattan’s best, kept secrets and I recommend it highly. The museum takes you back in time and makes you forget about the city’s hustle and bustle. You can easily lose a few hours if you don’t keep track of time.