This is a nice Harlem church, that almost looks like it could be in any American town. Of interest is the statue of St. Joseph holding a baby Jesus in his arms, situated in a niche above the door. White with an eggshell blue background, the sculpture evokes the terra cotta work of Italian renaissance artist Luca Della Robbia, who made similar pieces in bas-relief and on a smaller scale for the decoration of Florentine church exteriors and homes.
I am also curious about the front door, and wonder why it has a wreath of dried leaves hanging above it, tucked up behind the light fixture. Either it is a remnant of some Catholic tradition unknown to me, or else the people who hung it there for Christmas forgot about it completely. I wonder if there is a bell in the church tower. If so, I would be able to hear it from my house, but I have never heard one ringing in my neighborhood.
This is a nice Harlem church, that almost looks like it could be in any American town. Of interest is the statue of St. Joseph holding a baby Jesus in his arms, situated in a niche above the door. White with an eggshell blue background, the sculpture evokes the terra cotta work of Italian renaissance artist Luca Della Robbia, who made similar pieces in bas-relief and on a smaller scale for the decoration of Florentine church exteriors and homes. 
I am also curious about the front door, and wonder why it has a wreath of dried leaves hanging above it, tucked up behind the light fixture. Either it is a remnant of some Catholic tradition unknown to me, or else the people who hung it there for Christmas forgot about it completely. I wonder if there is a bell in the church tower. If so, I would be able to hear it from my house, but I have never heard one ringing in my neighborhood.
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