Our Architecture - interior
The Chancel
The altar and reredos were erected in 1885. They were designed by Mr. Richard M. Upjohn, and, with the exception of the sculptured angels, the work was executed by Messrs. Ellin & Co. of New York. The material employed is Caen stone, and the type of architecture is the decorated Gothic of the church. The altar is raised from the floor of the nave by seven stone steps, three of which form the ascent from the sanctuary pavement. It is eight feet, three inches in length, and the front is deeply recessed by round arches, which are supported by columns of tinted marble and enclose symbolic sculpture. The reredos defines the central plane of the polygonal apse, and its apex lifts its cross against the base of the central lancet of the chancel.
The Altar Angels
The chief sculptural feature are two angels, designed in high relief, with outspread wings, kneeling above the retable in adoration of the cross, which forms the background of the reredos. These devout and beautiful figures were modeled by Mr. Louis St. Gaudens in the studio of his brother Auguste. The north buttress of the reredos bears the following inscription:
To the
glory of God
and in sacred and
loving
memory of
Elizabeth McClintock Pruyn,
Born Oct. 31st. 1853,
evermore at rest
Dec. 20th, 1884
Mosaic Floors
The mosaic flooring in the nave was given in 1901 in loving memory of John Wilbur Tillinghast and his son Wilbur. The pavement was laid by Tretel Bros. & Co. of New York after designs of J. A. Holzer of New York. At the time of its dedication on September 29th, the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels, it was called the handsomest example of its kind in the country.
The motif of the decoration extending across the church at the foot of the chancel steps are the words of Christ,“I am the vine, ye are the branches.” The central quatrefoil bears the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet in reference to the first chapter of the Apocalypse, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” Into the quatrefoil holding the Alpha and Omega strike the roots of a vine, which, with its leaves and clusters, covers the space in front of the chancel. It symbolizes Christ, the life-vine of the Church and Humanity. In its growth it intertwines and holds four large medallions.
The two on either side of the central symbol bear respectively the pelican, the symbol of redemption, and the phœnix, the symbol of the resurrection. The one on the extreme left bears three fishes, one of the earliest Christian symbols, indicating baptism. The one on the extreme right bears a ship, a symbol likewise of the earliest ages of Christianity, indicating the Church. In the intertwining of the Christ-vine, there are sixteen shields, holding the traditional symbols of the twelve apostles as well as Moses, David, St. Stephen, and St. Paul.
The Bells
The Tower belfry was equipped with a chime of eleven bells, which were cast in the foundry of Meneely & Kimberly of Troy, N.Y. Their combined weight is six tons. The following is a statement of the tones, weights, and inscriptions of the bells composing the chime.
Great E Flat Bell
3,150 lbs.
John Tweddle.
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. They shall prosper that love Thee.”
“Gloria in Excelsis Deo.”
This chime of bells was given to St. Peter’s
Church, Albany, N.Y., by George Tweddle,
Christmas, 1875, in memory of his father
and mother, John and Sarah Tweddle.
_______
F Bell
2,150 lbs.
Mrs. Sarah Tweddle.
“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise.”
_______
G Bell
1,600 lbs.
George Tweddle.
“To tell of Thy loving kindness early in the morning, and of Thy truth in the night season.”
_______
A Flat Bell
1,250 lbs.
Mrs. Mary Tweddle.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
_______
B Flat Bell
850 lbs.
G. Robert Tweddle.
“Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted.”
_______
C Bell
600 lbs.
“J. Boyd Tweddle.
“Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth.”
_______
D Flat Bell
500 lbs.
H. Arnold Tweddle.
“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled.”
_______
D Bell
450 lbs.
George Tweddle, Jr.
“Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy.”
_______
E Flat Bell
400 lbs.
Mary F. Tweddle
“Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God.”
_______
F Bell
300 lbs.
Rev. Walton W. Battershall, Rector of St. Peter’s.
“Blessed are the peace-makers; for they shall be called the children of God.”
_______
G Bell
250 lbs.
“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
_______
The Old Bell
Sharing the belfry with the Chime, but not forming part of it, is the bell which swung in the steeple of the first St. Peter’s Church. This bell was the first in Albany to ring out America's independence from Great Britain.