Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Cloisters
Top 10 Cloister
Sights
1 Gothic Chapel
2 Boppard Room, lives of
the saints in stained glass
3 Merode Triptych,
Annunciation altarpiece
4
Nine Heroes
tapestries
5
Hunt of the Unicorn
tapestries
6 The Treasury
7 The Elizabeth Shrine
8 Virgin statue from
Strasbourg Cathedral
9 Altar Angel
0 Medieval Gardens
In addition to the medieval
treasures in the main build-
ing, the Metropolitan oversees
a spectacular branch, The
Cloisters, built in medieval
architectural style and set on
four acres of land overlooking
the Hudson River in Fort Tryon
Park in northern Manhattan.
Opened in 1938, the complex
consists of elements from five
medieval cloisters and other
monastic sites in southern France. The collections are
noted for Romanesque and Gothic architectural sculp-
tures and include illuminated manuscripts, tapestries,
stained glass, enamels, ivories, and paintings. The
Cloister gardens are a serene escape from the city.
John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
(see p13),
who gave items
from his own collection, is largely responsible for
funding the grounds, building, and collections.
Stained-glass
window detail
The Unicorn in Captivity,
1495
Cloisters Arcades
These arcades are from
the Bonnefont-en
Comminges Cloister
in southern France.
They date back to
the late 13th and
early 14th century.
Annunciation
altarpiece by Robert Campin, 1425
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