St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York (the Cathedral of the Archdiocese) is the largest Catholic church in America, built in the Neo-Gothic style. It belongs to the national historical monuments of the country. It can be visited by people of different faiths and nationalities. Admission is free, and donations can be made voluntarily.
History of creation
In the 19th century, the idea to build St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York appeared against the background of an increasing Catholic population - the fact was that the church could no longer accommodate parishioners. In 1853, Archbishop John Joseph Hughes shared with the faithful plans to open another church. Construction work began in 1858 and lasted for 20 years, in 1879 the cathedral was built and consecrated.
The author of the project is James Renwick Jr., he spent 3 years in Europe, and this allowed him as an architect to find inspiration for the design of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. Initially, he wanted to build a building that would surpass the Cologne Cathedral, taken as a model. Large-scale projects had to be abandoned due to difficulties with financing.
Short description
St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York has the shape of a Latin cross made of marble. Its length is just over 100 meters. The height of the spires, which were built in 1888, is 100 meters. They don't stand out against the skyscrapers, but they looked impressive in the 19th century. Up to 2,200 people can stay here at the same time. Every year on March 17, a mass is held, in which everyone can take part. A St. Patrick's Day parade is organized, which is usually attended by about 150,000 people, the number of spectators is estimated at 2 million. People dress in green clothes because of the symbolism of the holiday. It is believed that St. Patrick used green clover shamrocks to tell the people about the Holy Trinity.
The main entrance of the religious building is decorated with 9-ton bronze doors decorated with sculptures of saints. Inside, attention is drawn to the stained glass windows, which were created for a quarter of a century. One of the most famous jewelry companies, Tiffany, worked on the altar of St. Michael and the altar of St. Louis. Architects from the USA and Italy worked on the interior of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. In honor of the Pope's visit in 1979, a bust of John Paul II was installed here.
How to get
St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York is located at the intersection of Fiftieth Street and Fifth Avenue. You can focus on the Rockefeller Center, which is located opposite. People come here by metro, buses M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M50, private/rented car or taxi. The nearest metro stations are 5th Avenue-53rd Street and Rockefeller Center.
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