St. Patrick's Cathedral

St. Patrick's is  the largest Gothic Revival Catholic cathedral in North America.

Spires were added in 1888. A Lady chapel designed by Charles T. Mathews was constructed from 1901 to 1906. The cathedral was consecrated on October 5, 1910, after all its debt had been paid off. Extensive restorations of the cathedral were conducted several times, including in the 1940s, 1970s, and 2010s.

St. Patrick's Cathedral is clad in marble and has several dozen stained glass windows. It measures 332 feet long, with a maximum width of 174 feet at the transepts. The bronze doors that form the cathedral's main entrance on Fifth Avenue are flanked by towers with spires rising 329.5 feet. The northern tower contains nineteen bells, and the interior has two pipe organs. Inside is a nave flanked by several chapels; two transepts; a chancel and apse; and a crypt. East of the apse are the rectory, Lady chapel, and archbishop's residence facing Madison Avenue

The Diocese of New York was founded by Pope Pius VII in 1808. St. Patrick's was founded shortly afterward to serve New York City's small, but growing, Catholic population. The original site was on Mulberry Street where St. Patrick's Old Cathedral was dedicated in 1815.At the time, there were 15,000 Catholics in the diocese.When Catholics increasef to 200,000+ a new site for the Cathefral was chosen on Fifth Avenue.

St. Patrick's boasts some exquisite Neo-Gothic architecture, with two elegant spires lying either side of a stunning stained glass rose window.

Inside are some fine altars and artworks, with the huge Pieta statue being the undoubted highlight. The largest cathedral of its type in the States, St. Patrick’s can be found on Fifth Avenue, right in front of the renowned Rockefeller Center.