Within the Nolita neighborhood is the St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral. It stands at the corner of Mott and Prince Streets. The cathedral was first opened in 1815 and was rebuilt in 1868 after a fire. It served as New York City’s Roman Catholic cathedral until the new St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue was completed in 1879. Since then, St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral is a parish church.
New York City is home to many different churches, but none of them are more prominent or gratifying to visit than St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Otherwise known as the Cathedral of St. Patrick, it’s located in Midtown Manhattan on 5th Avenue.
The construction began in 1858 and was officially completed in 1879 with a small gap in development due to the Civil War. Now, nearly a million people from around the world come to visit every year. Visitors to New York who want to see a huge part of the city’s history should take time out of their day to come and visit as there is, after all, plenty to please the eye. Click to book your Churches, Chapels, and Cathedrals tour.
Tourist Attractions
Visitors to New York may like to take a guided tour of the elaborate and gorgeous Cathedral, which is available through the staffing system. The tours are given Monday through Friday and each host upwards of 60 people at a time, with 10 being the minimum amount taken. A $5 donation is suggested but not enforced, and all guided events are made based on the availability of volunteer tour guides. Visitors do not need reservations.
Outside of private group tours, there are also open public excursions throughout the week. These events change based on the month but are typically open to guests at least once or twice a week.
Visitors can complement their self-guided trips by downloading the St. Patrick’s Cathedral iOS/Android application which has an audio guide as well as a host of information to be consumed during the tour.
Attending Services
What makes the St. Patrick’s Cathedral unique is that it is a fully operational place of worship and quiet introspection in the middle of New York’s bustling Midtown neighborhood. Mass is offered every day of the week at varying start times. Monday through Friday visitors can attend Mass anytime between 7am and 5:30pm.
Service is most busy on Sundays as Mass is offered every hour between 7am and 5:30pm as well. Mass is taped and live-streamed on the internet every day as well as broadcast on local radio stations. There is no price for attendance.
Special Events
The St. Patrick’s Cathedral offers daily Mass proceedings as well as weekly musical events, including the St. Patrick’s Cathedral Choir. On Christmas Eve, the cathedral has a special Vigil mass starting at 5:30 pm.
On Christmas Day, there is a Midnight Christmas Mass that requires tickets to be purchased in advance. Both events are well worth going to for visitors in the area. Special events change based on the time of year. Christmas Eve, Easter, and Lent are all considered special times for St. Patrick’s Cathedral and as such are worth a visit.
Visiting St Patrick’s Cathedral
St. Patrick’s Cathedral is located at 460 Madison Avenue right at the intersection with 5th Avenue. The city streets in this part of town are bustling with foot traffic, tourists, and people coming to and leaving their places of work. As a result, it can feel impossibly crowded to out-of-town drivers, and parking is also notoriously difficult to ascertain in this neighborhood. Because of that, it is highly suggested that visitors to Manhattan take a cab service from their hotel.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral makes an impression at first glance. Located across the street from the famous Rockefeller Center, the St. Patrick’s Cathedral stands 396 feet high with a pair of spires and 19 large, chiming, and functional bells. The cathedral itself is fully operational with nearly one million annual visitors taking tours of the grounds every single year.
Location: 5th Avenue (between 50th and 51st Streets), New York, NY, 10022
Click here to visit St Patrick’s Cathedral official website.