St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York
Encyclopedia : S : ST : STP : St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York
St. Patrick's Cathedral is the largest decorated gothic-style Catholic Cathedral in the United States. It is the seat of the archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, and a parish church, located at 50th Street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, just across the street from Rockefeller Center.
History
The site of the present cathedral was bought for $11,000 on March 6, 1810, as a site for school for Catholic young men to be conducted by the Jesuits. This school failed, and in 1813, the land was sold again to Dom Augustin LeStrange, abbot of a community of Trappists (in fact, from the original monastery of LaTrappe) who were in America fleeing persecution by French authorities. In addition to a small monastic community, they also looked after some 33 orphans. With the downfall of Napoleon in 1814, the Trappists returned to France, abandoning the property (the orphanage was maintained by the Diocese of New York into the late 1800s) -- some of the monks traveled to Canada, however, and eventually founded St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts.The Diocese of New York, which was created in 1808, was made an archdiocese by Pope Pius IX on July 19, 1850, and on October 6, 1850. Archbishop John Joseph Hughes then announced his intention to erect a new cathedral to replace the Old St. Patrick's, which is located on the intersection of Prince and Mott Streets on Mulberry Street. The old cathedral was destroyed by fire in 1866 and was rebuilt and rededicated by 1868. It is still a parish church and is the oldest Catholic building in New York City.
The cornerstone for the new cathedral, was laid on August 15, 1858, just south of the diocese's orphanage, well north of the populous area of New York at that time. The cathedral was designed by James Renwick, Jr. in the Gothic Revival architectural style.
Work was begun in 1858, but was halted during the American Civil War, commencing again in 1865. The cathedral was completed in 1878 and was dedicated on May 25, 1879, its huge proportions dominating the mid-town of that time. The archbishop's house and rectory were added from 1882 to 1884 and the adjacent school opened in 1882. Towers on the West Front were added in 1888, and an addition on the east, including a Lady Chapel, designed by Charles T. Mathews, began in 1901. The cathedral was renovated between 1927 and 1931, when the great organ was installed, and the sanctuary was enlarged.
Architectural features
-->
- The cathedral is built of white marble quarried in New York and Massachusetts. The exterior is 120 m (400 feet) long and 53 m (174 feet) wide and seats about 2200. The parish is bounded by 59th Street, 3rd Avenue, 44th Street, and 7th Avenue and encompasses 302 city blocks. The spires rise 330 feet from street level.
- The windows were made by artists in Chartres, Birmingham and Boston. The great rose window is one of Charles Connick's major works.
- The St. Michael and St. Louis altar was designed by Tiffany & Co.; the St. Elizabeth altar was designed by Paolo Medici of Rome.
- The Stations of the Cross won a prize for artistry at the World Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893.
- The pietà is three times larger than the Michelangelo's Pietà.
- A bust of Pope John Paul II is located in the rear of the cathedral, commemorating his visit to the city in 1978.
- The old High Altar of St. Patrick's is now in the University Church of Fordham University at Rose Hill, as are the windows donated by King Louis Philippe of France for the "Old" Cathedral.
Organs
-->The original pipe organs, built by George Jardine and Sons in the 19th century, have been replaced. The Chancel Organ, in the north ambulatory, was made by the Kilgen Company, and installed in 1928. It has 1,480 pipes. The Grand Gallery Organ, by the same company, was installed in 1930. The organs can be played from either of two five-manual consoles, and have a total of 177 stops.
Burials
- The eight deceased archbishops of New York, six of them Cardinals, are buried in a crypt under the high altar. The cardinals' honorary hats, called galeros, hang from the ceiling over their tombs. Cardinal Spellman's hat was the one worn by Pope Pius XII when he was a Cardinal.
- Pierre Toussaint paid for the reconstruction of old St. Peter's Church (the first Catholic church in New York, founded 1785) after it burned, and helped raise money for the construction of the old St. Patrick's Cathedral in lower Manhattan (which was the second Catholic church in New York, founded 1809). Though during his life he had been turned away from the church because of his race, he was interred in the burial grounds at Old St. Patrick's Cathedral. Cardinal John O'Connor had Toussaint's remains moved from the cemetery of old St. Patrick's into the crypt below the main altar of the Fifth Avenue of the new St. Patrick's Cathedral. The process of canonization of Pierre Toussaint is underway.
- Archbishop Fulton Sheen, most noted as host of his radio show, "The Catholic Hour" and his television show, "Life is Worth Living," He was Bishop of the Rochester Diocese but was also an Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of New York from 1951-1966.
It is possible to enter the crypt inside of St. Patrick's cathedral; however, one can only enter if it is for special prayer (such as praying for a dying family member, etc.).
St. Patrick's in popular culture
Scenes from the Adam Sandler comedy films Little Nicky and Mr. Deeds were shot in the Cathedral, as was part of the climatic scene of Daredevil. St. Patrick's also appeared in the video game, Freedom Fighters, as a background in one of the levels. As the background however, it was shown to be partially on fire.In 2002, a couple having sex in a St. Patrick's vestibule as part of the Opie and Anthony radio show's "Sex for Sam 3" contest led to the popular duo's firing from Infinity radio. The sponsor of the contest was the Boston Beer Company which produces Sam Adams beer which had couples compete in having sex in outrageous places.[link] Opie and Anthony later reappeared on XM satellite radio, free from FCC regulations. They also came back to terrestrial radio saving listeners lost by David Lee Roth.
In the 2002 film Spider-Man (film) starring Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, after having rescued Mary Jane Watson from peril, Spider-Man places her on a rooftop garden across from St. Patrick's Cathedral before swinging off.
External links
- [St. Patrick's Cathedral Website]
- [About the Cathedral]
- [St. Patrick’s Cathedral] - New York Architecture Images
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.