St. Patrick's Cathedral (New York City)

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St. Patrick's Cathedral is a Catholic cathedral in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It is the seat of the Archbishop of New York as well as a parish church. The cathedral occupies a city block bounded by Fifth Avenue, Madison Avenue, 50th Street, and 51st Street, directly across from Rockefeller Center. Designed by James Renwick Jr., it is the largest Gothic Revival Catholic cathedral in North America.

The cathedral was constructed starting in 1858 to accommodate the growing Archdiocese of New York and to replace St. Patrick's Old Cathedral. Work was halted in the early 1860s during the American Civil War; the cathedral was completed in 1878 and dedicated on May 25, 1879. The archbishop's house and rectory were added in the early 1880s, both designed by James Renwick Jr., and the 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 Template:Convert long, with a maximum width of Template:Convert at the transepts. The bronze doors that form the cathedral's main entrance on Fifth Avenue are flanked by towers with spires rising Template:Convert. 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 cathedral is a New York City designated landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

The Diocese of New York was founded by Pope Pius VII in 1808.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Lafort p. 303">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Jackson p. 216">Template:Harvnb</ref> St. Patrick's was founded shortly afterward to serve New York City's small, but growing, Catholic population, which could no longer fit in St. Peter's Church.<ref name="Lafort p. 303" /> A site was selected on Mulberry Street in what is now Lower Manhattan, and St. Patrick's Old Cathedral was dedicated in 1815.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At the time, there were 15,000 Catholics in the diocese.<ref name="Jackson p. 216" />

Early site history

In March 1810, the Rev. Father Anthony Kohlmann bought the land on which the present cathedral stands. The site was bounded by what is now Fifth Avenue on the west, 51st Street on the north, Madison Avenue to the east, and 50th Street on the south.<ref name="nrhpinv">Pitts, Carolyn. Template:NHLS url National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination. August 1976. National Park Service.</ref><ref name="Lafort p. 304">Template:Harvnb</ref> The Jesuit community built a college on the site, which at the time was north of New York City proper.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> It contained a "fine old house" which was fitted with a chapel of St. Ignatius.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> In 1813, the Jesuits sold the lot to the Diocese of New York. The school closed in 1814 and the diocese gave the property to Dom Augustin LeStrange, the abbot of a community of Trappists who were fleeing persecution by French authorities. In addition to a small monastic community, they looked after orphans. With the downfall of Napoleon, the Trappists returned to France in 1815, but the neighboring orphanage was maintained by the diocese into the late nineteenth century.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>

In 1828, trustees of St. Patrick's, St. Peter's, and St. Mary's met to discuss the feasibility of establishing a burial ground at Fifth Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The trustees bought the property in 1829 but did not use it as a cemetery.<ref name="Farley p. 113" /><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Bishop John Dubois reopened the chapel in 1840 for Catholics employed at the Deaf and Dumb Asylum and in the general neighborhood. A modest frame church was built for the parish of St. John the Evangelist and dedicated in 1841 by the Rev. John Hughes, administrator of the diocese.<ref name="Farley p. 113">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Lafort p. 339">Template:Harvnb</ref> Tickets were sold to the dedication to ease the parish's debt, but the mortgage was foreclosed upon, and in 1844 the church was sold at auction.<ref name="Lafort p. 339" /> The church's pastor, the Rev. Felix Larkin, was said to have died from stress as a result.<ref name="Lafort p. 340">Template:Harvnb</ref> The Rev. Michael A. Curran was appointed to raise funds for the devastated parish and used an old college hall as a temporary church. Curran continued raising funds to buy back the church during the Great Famine in Ireland, eventually succeeding and taking the deed in his own name.<ref name="Lafort p. 340" />

Planning

By the early 1840s, the number of Catholics in the Diocese of New York had increased to 200,000.<ref name="Jackson p. 216" /><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> As a result, several additional dioceses were created in New York state. Most of New York state's Catholics at the time were Irish.<ref name="Jackson p. 216" /> The Diocese of New York was made an archdiocese by Pope Pius IX on July 19, 1850.<ref name="Farley p. 91">Template:Harvnb</ref> Bishop John Joseph Hughes was raised to the level of archbishop soon afterward.<ref name="Lafort p. 304" /><ref name="Farley p. 91" /> As early as 1850, Hughes determined that the growing Archdiocese of New York needed a large cathedral to replace the older cathedral in Lower Manhattan.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Lafort p. 305">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="NPS p. 2">Template:Harvnb</ref> At the time, the Fifth Avenue site was still relatively rural.<ref name="sun18790525">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Farley p. 127">Template:Harvnb</ref> The site faced the gardens of Columbia University to the west,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> but the surrounding area was otherwise characterized by rocks and unopened streets.<ref name="sun18790525" /> Even so, Hughes believed the site would grow into a populous business area.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1853, Hughes announced that he had hired the firm Renwick & Rodrigue to design a cathedral on Fifth Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets.<ref name="Lafort p. 305" /> One partner in the firm, William Rodrigue, was Hughes's brother-in-law.<ref name="Farley pp. 153-154">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The other partner, James Renwick Jr., was largely responsible for designing the new St. Patrick's Cathedral.<ref name="Lafort p. 305" /><ref name="Farley pp. 153-154" /> Renwick spent three years in Europe to look for design influences for New York City's new Catholic cathedral.<ref name="Stern (1999) p. 315" /> He took particular inspiration from the unfinished Cologne Cathedral.<ref name="Stern (1999) p. 315">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="FWP p. 344">Template:Harvnb</ref> Renwick & Rodrigue originally planned a larger cathedral than the structure that was ultimately built. Hughes requested in 1857 that the firm reduce the dimensions of the new cathedral.<ref name="sun18790525" /><ref name="Farley p. 153">Template:Harvnb</ref> To make way for the clergy's and archbishop's residences, the ambulatory was removed from the plans.<ref name="Farley p. 153" /><ref name="NPS p. 5">Template:Harvnb</ref> The area behind the apse would have contained a chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, but this was removed entirely.<ref name="Farley p. 163">Template:Harvnb</ref> The numerous heavy buttresses in the design were also removed.<ref name="Stern (1999) p. 315" />

Plans for the cathedral were finalized in 1858.<ref name="Lafort p. 305" /><ref name="Farley p. 115">Template:Harvnb</ref> To raise money for the effort, Hughes asked wealthy Catholics in the Archdiocese of New York to subscribe to a building fund for the new cathedral. One hundred and three subscribers donated $1,000 apiece,<ref name="Lafort p. 305" /><ref name="Farley p. 122">Template:Harvnb</ref> and two subscribers were non-Catholics.<ref name="Farley p. 122" /> The first construction contracts for the new Fifth Avenue cathedral were issued in June 1858. The new St. Patrick's Cathedral was to take up the entire block bounded by Fifth and Madison Avenues between 50th and 51st Streets. The front facade on Fifth Avenue would have three large entrances, and the northwest and southwest corners of the cathedral would be topped by an octagonal spire. The interior was to be designed in a cruciform layout.<ref name="nydh18580630">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Farley pp. 118-119">Template:Harvnb</ref> The cathedral was to be built in the Gothic Revival style.<ref name="nydh18600815">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="bde18660607">Template:Cite news</ref> In addition, an archbishop's house and a chapel would face Madison Avenue.<ref name="bde18660607" /> At the time, there were numerous hospitals, asylums, and other public institutions along the nearby section of Fifth Avenue.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="nydh18580630" />

Construction

Initial work and hiatus

On August 15, 1858, the cornerstone was laid just south of the diocese's orphanage.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Archbishop Hughes laid the cornerstone in front of 100,000 spectators near the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 50th Street, though the precise location remains unclear.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> That October, the architects presented cost estimates for making the cathedral out of white marble, brown freestone, olive freestone, or granite.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The white marble was the most expensive of the four options, with a projected cost of $850,000, and James Hall and William Joyce offered to supply the marble.<ref name="Farley p. 117">Template:Harvnb</ref>Template:Efn Even so, Renwick recommended that St. Patrick's be constructed of white marble, citing its durability and beauty.<ref name="Lafort p. 305" /><ref name="Farley p. 117" /> The archdiocese formed a Bureau of Contracts, which first met in December 1858.<ref name="Farley p. 115" />

The bureau awarded the marble contract to Hall and Joyce in March 1859; at the time, the work was supposed to be finished before January 1, 1867. The cost estimate of $867,500 for the entire cathedral (Template:Inflation) was unusually low for a project of that size.<ref name="Farley pp. 118-119" /> Construction progressed for two years after the cornerstone was laid.<ref name="Lafort p. 305" /><ref name="Farley p. 127" /> The work consisted of laying stone blocks for the foundation, each weighing between one and four tons.<ref name="nydh18600815" /> The foundation was excavated to a maximum depth of Template:Convert, where it was laid on solid rock.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /><ref name="nydh18600815" /><ref name="Farley p. 155">Template:Harvnb</ref> The excavations were relatively small because the underlying layer of bedrock was shallow,<ref name="nyt18701120">Template:Cite news</ref> rising nearly to the surface near the transept on Fifth Avenue.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /><ref name="Farley p. 155" /> White-marble walls were then constructed above the foundation.<ref name="nydh18600815" /> By January 1860, the cathedral had been erected to about Template:Convert above ground level.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Work was slightly delayed by a stonecutters' strike that March.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The walls had reached the water table when all $73,000 in funds had been exhausted.<ref name="Farley p. 127" /> As a result, in August 1860, Hughes decided to suspend all work on the new cathedral.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> When work was suspended, the walls had been built to an average height of Template:Convert above ground.<ref name="nydh18600815" /> The onset of the American Civil War in 1861 prevented the resumption of work for several years.<ref name="Lafort p. 305" /><ref name="NPS p. 2" /><ref name="Farley p. 127" /> Hughes died in January 1864 before the work could resume.<ref name="Farley p. 127" /><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> John McCloskey was appointed to succeed Hughes as archbishop.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Farley p. 128">Template:Harvnb</ref> McCloskey created a plan to finance the construction of the new St. Patrick's Cathedral.<ref name="Farley p. 127" />

Completion

By mid-1866, work had again resumed and the walls had been built to Template:Convert above ground. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported that the interior "looks like a large field" and said the cathedral would be "worthy to be regarded as one of the wonders of the Republic".<ref name="bde18660607" /> Some $100,000 was spent on the Catholic cathedral in 1867,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and the constituent churches of the Archdiocese of New York promised to spend $100,000 a year until the cathedral was complete.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Most funding for the cathedral came from the parishioners of these churches, who were mainly poor Irish immigrants. An editorial in the New York World described the cathedral as being constructed "not of the superfluity of wealth, but for the most part out of the offerings of poverty".<ref name="Stern (1999) p. 317">Template:Harvnb</ref>

The cathedral's masonry was laid during summer as the stonework could not be laid in the cold.<ref name="nyt18701120" /> By late 1870, the marble walls had been built to a height of Template:Convert and the transept was finished.<ref name="nyt18701120" /><ref name="p553736058">Template:Cite news</ref> The entrance on Fifth Avenue, measuring Template:Convert tall, had also been finished.<ref name="p553736058" /> Over a hundred workers were busy quarrying marble from Pleasantville, north of New York City. The marble was transported down to New York City via the Harlem Railroad, where a branch track led to the new cathedral's site.<ref name="nyt18701120" /> The construction of the new cathedral drew relatively little interest for New York City's non-Catholic population,<ref name="nyt18750824">Template:Cite news</ref> though several commentators praised the cathedral's design.<ref name="Stern (1999) p. 315" /> An anonymous author for the Real Estate Record and Guide wrote that the new St. Patrick's Cathedral was the "most gorgeous ecclesiastical edifice on this continent", though the critics perceived the buttresses on the north and south sides of the facade as "altogether unnecessary".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> A reporter for the New York World, probably Montgomery Schuyler, wrote in 1871 that the cathedral would be "one of the leading ecclesiastical structures in the world".<ref name="Stern (1999) p. 315" />

The trustees of St. Patrick's Cathedral borrowed $300,000 from the Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank for the new cathedral in 1874. The trustees gave the bank a first mortgage on the cathedral and site as collateral for the loan.<ref name="nyt18800702">Template:Cite news</ref> By late 1875, the roof had been covered with slate and all of the walls were finished, except for a small portion along Fifth Avenue.<ref name="p572669032">Template:Cite news</ref> The trustees borrowed another $100,000 from the Emigrant Bank in 1876.<ref name="nyt18800702" /> Late that year, temporary scaffolding was erected so the interior could be plastered and decorated. Almost all the stained glass had been delivered and was being glazed; four of these windows had been exhibited at the Centennial Exposition. Only one worker had been killed during the construction process, according to the American Architect and Building News, due to his own carelessness.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> McCloskey made contracts for furnishings in 1874 and again in 1878.<ref name="Farley p. 128" />

On November 29, 1877, the incomplete St. Patrick's Cathedral was opened for public viewing.<ref name="p572739957">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Stern (1999) p. 315" /> A one-month-long fundraiser for the cathedral commenced on October 22, 1878.<ref name="nyt18781023">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In its first three weeks, the fundraiser had an average daily attendance of between ten and eleven thousand.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The fair ran for 36 nights and attracted about 250,000 total visitors when it closed on November 30.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Farley p. 129">Template:Harvnb</ref> Forty-five parishes of the Archdiocese of New York had exhibits at the fair.<ref name="Farley p. 129" /> The fundraiser sought to raise $200,000 for the cathedral,<ref name="nyt18781023" /> but it ultimately netted $173,000.<ref name="Lafort p. 305" /><ref name="Farley p. 129" /> Several months elapsed before the cathedral was readied for its dedication in early 1879.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Opening and late 19th century

The new St. Patrick's Cathedral opened on May 25, 1879.<ref name="nyt18790526">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="p534434626">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="p572797988">Template:Cite news</ref> Thirty-five bishops and six archbishops attended the dedication.<ref name="nyt18790526" /><ref name="p572797988" /><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> St. Patrick's was met with a generally positive reception from the media.<ref name="Stern (1999) p. 317" /> The Baltimore Sun, for example, called it the "finest church edifice on the American continent".<ref name="p406941196" /> Not all critics spoke of the cathedral positively; journalist Clarence Cook authored a criticism that architectural historian Robert A. M. Stern characterized as being "underpinned with religious and ethnic bigotry".<ref name="Stern (1999) p. 317" /> Cook perceived the facade as being full of "clumsy repetition", and he wrote of the interior: "Words cannot express the paltry character of the internal finish of this vaunted structure."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The new St. Patrick's Cathedral and Temple Emanu-El comprised the first non-Protestant houses of worship on the midtown section of Fifth Avenue.<ref>Template:Cite New York 1900</ref> At the time, the cathedral was far removed from the developed portions of the city.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The first bishop consecrated in the new cathedral was the Michael J. O'Farrell of Trenton, New Jersey, who became the first bishop of the Diocese of Trenton.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>

The cathedral's parish originally extended from Seventh Avenue to the East River between 46th and 59th Streets, and the section between Madison and Sixth Avenues extended to 42nd Street.<ref name="Lafort p. 306" /><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> In 1880, the section between Third Avenue and the East River was split to the parish of St. John the Evangelist.<ref name="Lafort p. 306" /><ref name="Farley p. 151">Template:Harvnb</ref> During the early 1880s, Renwick designed the archbishop's house and rectory on Madison Avenue.<ref name="aia5">Template:Cite aia5</ref> The Real Estate Record and Guide reported in December 1881 that Renwick had been hired to build a rectory at the southwest corner of Madison Avenue and 51st Street.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Shortly afterward, Renwick filed plans for a four-story marble rectory on the site,<ref name="nyt18820126">Template:Cite news</ref> to be built by E. D. Connoly & Son and P. Walsh.<ref name="rer18820128">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The archbishop's house was completed the same year.<ref name="Farley p. 151" /> The rectory was completed on May 8, 1884.<ref name="Farley p. 151" /> A critic for the Real Estate Record characterized the rectory and archbishop's house as having "absurd" dormer windows in their mansard roofs.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> A memorial marble pulpit was manufactured in Italy and installed in the cathedral in October 1885. The money for the pulpit came from the clergy of the archdiocese, who had offered Cardinal McCloskey $10,000 for his golden jubilee and commissioned the pulpit after he had declined the prize.<ref name="p493444104">Template:Cite news</ref>

A lack of funding precluded spires from being installed when the cathedral was completed.<ref name="Stern (1999) p. 315" /><ref name="p406941196">Template:Cite news</ref> By late 1885, spires were planned to be installed at a cost of $190,000.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nyt18850925">Template:Cite news</ref> Renwick filed plans for the cathedral spires in September 1885,<ref name="nyt18850925" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and the contract was awarded to George Mann & Co. of Baltimore.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Excavation of the stone commenced in January 1886 and the spires were constructed starting that September.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The last stones of the spires were erected in October 1888, at which point the cathedral was considered completed.<ref name="sun18881005">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nyt18881007">Template:Cite news</ref> At the time several hundred niches remained to be filled with figures, and ten chapels did not have their altars yet.<ref name="nyt18881007" /> At Template:Convert,<ref name="McDonald 2015"/><ref name="popefrancisnyc"/>Template:Efn the spires were the tallest structures in New York City.<ref name="popefrancisnyc">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Evening World said the construction of the spires "completes a notable ornament to the city".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Within a year, the cathedral was surpassed in height by the New York World Building, whose spire rose to Template:Convert.<ref name="Untapped New York 2015">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The funding shortages at the building's completion had also required that a "temporary" plaster and wood ceiling be installed atop the cathedral,<ref name="p406941196" /> rather than the marble or brick ceiling that Renwick had conceived.<ref name="p406941196" /><ref name="McDonald 2015"/> The cathedral never replaced the plaster-and-wood ceiling.<ref name="McDonald 2015">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=nyt20150917/><ref name=cbs20150927/>

After the spires were finished, the trustees of St. Patrick's Cathedral decided that bells should be installed in one tower. No arrangements had yet been made for the bells because parts of the project, such as interior design, remained incomplete.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The cathedral tested a set of four bells in the north tower in July and August 1889 to determine the tower's acoustic properties.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The altar of the Holy Family was consecrated at the cathedral in 1893.<ref name="p573922855">Template:Cite news</ref> A set of bells for the cathedral was manufactured in the United States. After the archbishop consecrated them, the bells were found to be defective and were never hung in the belfry. In 1895, the cathedral ordered a second set of bells to be made by the Paccards in France.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The new bells were blessed by Archbishop Michael Corrigan on August 15, 1897, though they had not been installed yet.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nyt18970816">Template:Cite news</ref> The framework for the bells was installed in the north tower the next month.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At the time of completion, St. Patrick's had more bells than any other church in the city, with 19; by comparison, Trinity Church had ten bells and Grace Church had nine.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Also in 1897, the Spiritual Sons of De La Salle funded a new altar for the cathedral.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

20th century

Lady chapel and consecration

Margaret A. Kelly, widow of banker Eugene Kelly, died in 1899 and left $200,000 to the cathedral for the construction of a Lady chapel, on the condition that the chapel not be constructed until after her death.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Kelly's sons pledged additional funds for the chapel as necessary.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The next year, the trustees of St. Patrick's Cathedral held an architectural design competition for the chapel, east of the cathedral's apse. The trustees received submissions from American, Canadian, French, and British architects before giving the commission to Charles T. Mathews of New York City.<ref name="p570915451">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nyt19000901">Template:Cite news</ref> After traveling to Europe to study architectural influences, Mathews prepared plans for the chapel by September 1900.<ref name="p570915451" /><ref name="nyt19000901" /> Work on the Lady chapel began in July 1901.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Archbishop Corrigan was simultaneously paying off the debt on the cathedral with the intention of consecrating it after all the debts were paid off in 1908. This date was the centennial of the Archdiocese of New York's founding and the 50-year anniversary of the groundbreaking ceremony. However, he died in 1902 before the consecration or the retirement of the debt.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Following a construction delay of more than one year, the Lady chapel was nearly complete by early 1905.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The first Mass in the Lady chapel took place in Christmas 1906,<ref name="FWP p. 346">Template:Harvnb</ref> but the interior furnishings were not complete until 1908.<ref name="St. Patricks Cathedral 1910">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The chapel cost $800,000 in total.<ref name="p537417071">Template:Cite news</ref>

Additional changes to the cathedral took place in the first decade of the 20th century. These included the construction of an altar to St. Michael on the left side of the Lady chapel, as well as an altar to St. Joseph on the right side. By 1907, a movable bronze screen was to be installed at the transept, and the temporary wooden floor dating from the cathedral's construction was planned to be replaced with a permanent marble floor.<ref name="p537417071" /> The bronze screens were a gift to celebrate the archdiocese's centennial,<ref name="n80412644">Template:Cite news</ref> which almost every archbishop in the United States celebrated at the cathedral in April 1908.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Lady chapel was originally outfitted with transparent windows,<ref name="nyt19300803">Template:Cite news</ref> though its stained-glass windows were manufactured in Europe starting in 1909.<ref name="St. Patricks Cathedral 1910" /> In the first half of 1910, the cathedral's debt of $800,000 was completely paid off.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> St. Patrick's Cathedral was consecrated on October 5, 1910, with Archbishop John Murphy Farley officiating.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By that time, the surrounding area was quickly being developed.<ref name="p1338145850">Template:Cite news</ref>

1920s through 1940s

Monsignor Michael J. Lavelle started raising $625,000 from the congregation in 1926 to renovate the cathedral.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The next year, Robert J. Reiley was hired to conduct renovations, including replacing the wooden floor with a marble floor.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The floor was replaced between April and December 1927. The old organ was also replaced and new stained-glass windows, altar, and pews were being installed in the Lady chapel. The sanctuary was extended approximately Template:Convert, the metal communion rail was replaced with a bronze and marble rail, and the wooden throne was replaced with one of marble.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Amplifiers,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> wrought-iron doors,<ref name="nyt19300907">Template:Cite news</ref> and new bronze chandeliers were installed.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> New pews were also installed,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> as were two new organs.<ref name="New York City 1927" /> English stained glass artist and designer Paul Vincent Woodroffe completed the Lady chapel's remaining windows by late 1930.<ref name="nyt19300803" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> With the construction of Rockefeller Center to the west, several trees were planted around the cathedral in 1939 to complement Rockefeller Center's trees.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The cathedral's rectory was closed in April 1940 for the first major renovation in its history,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and it reopened that December.<ref name="nyt19401210">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="p1320115412">Template:Cite news</ref> Archbishop Francis Spellman announced in February 1941 that an anonymous donor had provided funding for a new high altar, to be designed by Charles Maginnis. According to Spellman's announcement, the original high altar had been "architecturally inconsistent" with the cathedral's design ever since the Lady chapel was completed, but a lack of funds had prevented the altar's replacement for four decades.<ref name="p1322000127">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The reredos behind the original high altar blocked the view of the Lady chapel from the nave, but the cathedral's trustees wished to avoid this.<ref name="p1259332051">Template:Cite news</ref> The old main altar was removed in February 1942<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and the new main altar of St. Patrick's Cathedral was consecrated that May.<ref name="p1256783923">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nyt19420510">Template:Cite news</ref> A new altar in the Lady chapel, donated by George J. Gillespie, was also consecrated in May 1942.<ref name="p11263586673">Template:Cite news</ref>

The George A. Fuller Company started renovating the exterior in August 1945<ref name="nyt19470220">Template:Cite news</ref> after blasting for a nearby building dislodged a stone from the facade.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The main doorway was narrowed, and some of the projecting Gothic ornamentation was eliminated because they were prone to cracks in New York City's climate, which was characterized by abrupt temperature decreases.<ref name="nyt19470220" /><ref name="p1268010549">Template:Cite news</ref> A bronze cross was placed atop the north tower, replacing the original stone cross there.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The project involved 350 workers at its peak.<ref name="nyt19470220" /> Some funds for the renovation came from a 1946 bequest of $100,000 from radio personality Major Bowes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By early 1947, the project was completed except for the Lady Chapel and a set of new entrance doors.<ref name="p1268010549" /> An anonymous donor gave the cathedral a $25,000 window, which was designed by Charles J. Connick Associates and unveiled in April 1947.<ref name="nyt19470402">Template:Cite news</ref> Work began on an interior renovation in mid-1948, with 17 of the cathedral's 19 altars being replaced.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Cardinal Francis Spellman blessed the new bronze doors in December 1949.<ref name="p1326903819">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nyt19491224">Template:Cite news</ref>

1950s to 1990s

In 1952, St. Patrick's Cathedral received five gifts. These funded the electrification of the cathedral chimes; an elevator to the main organ; kneeling cushions and guard cords in the pews; and new stained-glass windows.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The windows, depicting 12 male and 12 female saints, were installed at the clerestory in 1954. These windows were funded by a bequest by Atlas Portland Cement Company president John R. Morron, who left $200,000 for the archdiocese in his will.<ref name="p1322385806">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nyt19540712">Template:Cite news</ref> The cathedral celebrated the 100th anniversary of its cornerstone-laying in 1958.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At the time, the cathedral had over three million visitors a year.<ref name="p1338145850" /> St. Patrick's celebrated the 50th anniversary of its consecration two years later.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) considered designating St. Patrick's Cathedral as a New York City landmark in early 1966.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Later that year, the LPC designated the cathedral as a New York City Landmark.<ref name="NYCL-0267">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Under Cardinal Terence Cooke's leadership, the interior of St. Patrick's Cathedral was restored starting in 1972.<ref name="St. Patricks Cathedral 1910" /> That June, workers placed scaffolding on the cathedral to protect it from damage due to blasting for the construction of Olympic Tower across 51st Street. Afterward, over 100 workers cleaned and painted the interior while the cathedral remained open.<ref name="n80476051">Template:Cite news</ref> The $800,000 project was completed in April 1973.<ref name="n80476051" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The cathedral close, consisting of all structures on the same block as the cathedral, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976.<ref name="nrhpinv" /><ref>St. Patrick's Cathedral, Lady Chapel, Rectory and Cardinal's Residence Template:Webarchive. National Historic Landmark summary listing, September 18, 2007. National Park Service.</ref><ref>Template:NHLS url National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination. August 1976. National Park Service.</ref>

St. Patrick's Cathedral celebrated the centennial of its opening in May 1979. The cathedral's popularity was attributed to its location in midtown, and about 6,000 people attended Mass on Sundays, ninety percent of whom were visitors.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The cathedral's exterior was cleaned the same year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Further restoration began in 1984 during the episcopate of Cardinal John O'Connor. As part of the work, most of the roof was replaced, and the entrance steps, doors, and walls were also repaired.<ref name="St. Patricks Cathedral 1910" /> The cathedral's two organs were restored in the mid-1990s.<ref name="nyt-orgel">Template:Cite news</ref>

21st century

Under Cardinal Edward Egan, another renovation of the cathedral was planned in 2006<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=Architect2015>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> after chunks of rock started falling from the facade.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The project was conducted between 2012 and 2015 at a cost of $177 million.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The renovation was designed by Murphy Burnham & Buttrick and led by construction manager Structure Tone.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The renovation involved cleaning the exterior marble, repairing stained-glass windows, painting the ceiling, and replacing the flooring and steps.<ref name=Architect2015/> In addition, the bronze doors were renovated and reinstalled.<ref name="cbs2013">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Work was completed by September 17, 2015, before Pope Francis visited the cathedral the next week.<ref name=nyt20150917>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=cbs20150927>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The scaffolding was removed in July 2016.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The cathedral and the renovations were featured on WNET's television program Treasures of New York.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The LPC approved a garage on the 50th Street side of the cathedral in late 2015. The garage was designed to provide a secure entrance for Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2017, MBB Architects and Structure Tone, Landmark Facilities Group, and P.W. Grosser completed a new geothermal system under St. Patrick's Cathedral, believed to be the largest in New York City.<ref name=nyt20180314>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="The Architect's Newspaper 2017">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The gardens adjoining the cathedral to the north and south were excavated for the system's construction, and they were replanted after installation was complete.<ref name="Architect 2016">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The same October, a shrine to the Lebanese Maronite Saint Charbel Makhlouf was dedicated at St. Patrick's Cathedral.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The cathedral was temporarily closed for in-person Mass in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City. The pandemic severely reduced the cathedral's finances as much of its income came from donations at Mass and the archdiocese did not fund the cathedral's maintenance.<ref name=nyt20200719>Template:Cite news</ref> It was reopened for full-capacity worship in May 2021.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Following the rezoning of East Midtown in the late 2010s, the Archdiocese of New York began planning to sell the air rights attached to the cathedral's site.<ref name="Gunts 2018 k182">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Crains New York Business 2018 z963">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In December 2023, Citadel LLC and Vornado Realty Trust agreed to pay as much as $164 million for up to Template:Convert of the cathedral's air rights, which would be transferred to a site at 350 Park Avenue.<ref name="Crains New York Business 2023 d825">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="The Real Deal 2023 l785">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Also in 2023, Adam Cvijanovic won a competition to paint a mural at St. Patrick's.<ref name="Lubow Etheredge d311">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Cvijanovic's mural, What's So Funny About Peace, Love, and Understanding, was installed in 2025; it is the largest artwork ever installed at the cathedral, as well as the first since the bronze doors in 1949.<ref name="Ratliff p665">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Artforum n651">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Main structure

St. Patrick's Cathedral was designed by James Renwick Jr. with influences from English, French, and German Gothic architecture.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /><ref name="Stern (1999) p. 315" /> It is the largest Gothic Revival Catholic cathedral in North America,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> as well as the first major Gothic Revival cathedral in the United States.<ref name="FWP p. 344" /> St. Patrick's Cathedral was described by CNN in 2020 as being an "essential part of New York City's architectural heritage".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The cathedral serves as the seat for the Archdiocese of New York and as a parish church for the archdiocese within Manhattan.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, over five million people visited the cathedral each year.<ref name=nyt20200719/>

The foundation stones are made of blue gneiss granite set within cement mortar.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /> The lowest horizontal course of the facade, as well as the lowest course under all the interior columns. is made of Dix Island granite from Maine.<ref name="sun18790525" /><ref name="Farley p. 155" /> The exterior is clad in marble quarried in Lee, Massachusetts, and Pleasantville, New York. The main section of the cathedral is made of Tuckahoe marble.<ref name="Farley p. 155" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Behind the marble blocks are walls made of brick and stone laid in rough masonry, with hollow gaps for ventilation. The blocks were so closely laid that, decades after the cathedral's completion, no cracks had formed in them.<ref name="NPS p. 5" /><ref name="Farley p. 155" /> The side walls are between Template:Convert thick, and the clerestory walls above the nave are 3 feet thick.<ref name="p553736058" /> Part of the interior is made of artificial Coignet stone.<ref name="sun18790525" /> The marble for the spires was sourced from Cockeysville, Maryland,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and the roof has 343 finials.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

There are 103 windows on the cathedral in total.<ref name="p572739957" /><ref name="p534434626" />Template:Efn The windows are glazed by two thicknesses of sash and glass, set Template:Convert apart, to regulate interior temperatures and prevent air drafts. The exterior sashes are glazed with figured glass in lead sash, while the interior sashes are glazed with stained glass.<ref name="sun18790525" /><ref name="Farley p. 160" /> The windows of the clerestory were made by Morgan Brothers.<ref name="Farley p. 160" /> The cathedral had been constructed with 57 stained-glass windows: 37 representing scenes from Scripture and 20 representing geometrical shapes.<ref name="p137886476">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Farley p. 181">Template:Harvnb</ref> Forty-five of the original windows were manufactured by Nicholas Lorin and Henry Ely in France.<ref name="FWP p. 345">Template:Harvnb</ref> Other stained glass windows were added later.<ref name="p1322385806" /><ref name="nyt19540712" /> Renwick's original sketches show that the tracery near each window was designed with two grooves: one for stained glass and one for protective glazing.<ref name="Architect 2016" />

Location and dimensions

St. Patrick's Cathedral is in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It takes up a full city block bounded by Fifth Avenue to the west, 51st Street to the north, Madison Avenue to the east, and 50th Street to the south. Clockwise from northwest, the cathedral is directly across from Olympic Tower, 11 East 51st Street, and 488 Madison Avenue to the north; the Villard Houses and Lotte New York Palace Hotel to the east; 18 East 50th Street and the Saks Fifth Avenue flagship store to the south; and the International Building of Rockefeller Center to the west.<ref name="aia5" /> St. Patrick's is directly across from the Atlas statue at the International Building.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

St. Patrick's is oriented west–east relative to the street grid and has a cruciform plan. From west to east, the cathedral contains a nave; transepts extending to the north and south; and a sanctuary and apse.<ref name="FWP p. 344" /><ref name="p553736058" /><ref name="sun18790525" /> The entire structure measures Template:Convert long as measured along the exterior buttresses. The cathedral is Template:Convert wide at the transepts.<ref name="Farley p. 154">Template:Harvnb</ref>Template:Efn The main facade is oriented west along Fifth Avenue, with two towers measuring Template:Convert wide<ref name="NPS p. 5" /><ref name="Farley p. 156" /> and Template:Convert tall,<ref name="McDonald 2015"/><ref name="popefrancisnyc"/>Template:Efn flanking a central section Template:Convert wide.<ref name="Farley p. 154" /> To the north and south are planted gardens,<ref name="Architect 2016" /> which contain ten manholes for the cathedral's subterranean geothermal system.<ref name="nyt20180314" /> The cathedral's total length is Template:Convert.<ref name="McDonald 2015"/>

The cathedral's interior was designed to accommodate 14,000 seated guests or 19,000 in total.<ref name="p534434626" /><ref name="Harpers 1869">Template:Cite magazine</ref> It has a seating capacity for about 2,400 congregants.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> There are about 300 wooden pews ranging from Template:Convert wide.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The underground geothermal system consists of ten wells, each Template:Convert deep, which could concurrently send hot and cold air to separate sections of the cathedral. The system is capable of producing Template:Convert of heat and Template:Convert of air conditioning hourly.<ref name=nyt20180314/><ref name="The Architect's Newspaper 2017" /> The geothermal system uses a computer to send cool or warm air based on thermostat readings. Heat and cool air are pumped through four water loops.<ref name="nyt20180314" />

Western facade

Central gable and doors

The central portion of the Fifth Avenue facade contains a Template:Convert gable, which leads into the narthex.<ref name="NPS p. 5" /><ref name="Farley p. 156">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="p137886476" /> The main entrance is an archway at the base of the gable, measuring Template:Convert wide and Template:Convert tall.<ref name="nyt18750824" /> The actual entrance portal is recessed about Template:Convert into the archway and contains the main doors.<ref name="p534434626" /><ref name="Farley p. 156" /> The top of the portal is slightly pointed, with carved spandrel panels on either side.<ref name="Farley p. 156" /> Above is a marble transom bar as well as elaborate floral tracery.<ref name="nyt18750824" /><ref name="Farley p. 156" /> The portal is flanked by decorative jambs, which in turn are topped by foliage capitals. Atop the jambs are a set of buttresses, which converge to form pointed arches.<ref name="Farley p. 156" /> A gablet rises over the main portal and contains tracery paneling and a shield bearing the arms of the Archdiocese of New York.<ref name="p534434626" /><ref name="Farley p. 156" />

The main entrance originally contained a pair of square-headed marble doors.<ref name="Farley p. 156" /> The current bronze doors were designed by Charles Maginnis and sculpted by John Angel, and they were installed in 1949.<ref name="p1326903819" /><ref name="nyt19491224" /> Each door is Template:Convert and weighs Template:Convert.<ref name="cbs2013" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The main doors are generally kept open to welcome visitors; to save energy, a second set of glass pocket doors is installed directly behind.<ref name="Preservation Leadership Forum 2018">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The main doors are decorated with relief sculptures representing three men and three women, with inscriptions indicating their significance to the cathedral and with particular focus on missionary work and assistance for migrants:<ref name="nyt19491224" /><ref name="Bergman 2001 p. 152">Template:Cite book</ref>

St. Joseph, "patron of the Church" (top left)
St. Patrick, "patron of this Church" (top right)
St. Isaac Jogues Martyr, "first [Catholic] priest in New York" (middle left)
St. Frances X Cabrini, "mother of the immigrant" (middle right)
St. Kateri Tekakwitha, "lily of the Mohawks" (bottom left)
Mother Elizabeth Seton, "daughter of New York" (bottom right)

Above the central opening is a balustrade made of rich pierced tracery; it contains a row of niches, measuring Template:Convert high, for statues.<ref name="p534434626" /><ref name="Farley p. 156" /> These niches are decorated by columns with foliage capitals and gablets, with tracery and finials.<ref name="Stern (1999) p. 315" /><ref name="Diamonstein-Spielvogel 2011" /> The niches depict six archangels: Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael, Chamuel, and Jophiel.<ref name="nyt19470402" /> Above these niches is a rose window, measuring Template:Convert in diameter and designed by Charles Connick.<ref name="Stern (1999) p. 315" /><ref name="Diamonstein-Spielvogel 2011">Template:Cite landmarks</ref> The rose window is blue with red, green, white, and gold panels. The window depicts eight types of leaves at its center, as well as trefoils with white doves.<ref name="nyt19470402" /> The main gable is carried up to the roof lines, terminating at a cornice with crockets that support a foliated cross.<ref name="Farley p. 157">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Harpers 1869" /> On either side of the jambs of the central window are buttresses, terminated by pinnacles, and between these and the buttresses of the tower are rich Gothic panels, terminated by crocketed gablets.<ref name="Farley p. 157" />

Just inside the entrance doors, within the narthex, is What’s So Funny About Peace, Love, and Understanding, a mural by Adam Cvijanovic that depicts immigrants arriving in New York City. The mural consists of 12 panels each measuring Template:Convert high. The upper right corner of the mural depicts religious figures seen at the Apparition at Knock in 1879, while the rest of the artwork depicts both 19th-century immigrants from Ireland and modern-day immigrants from around the world.<ref name="Lubow Etheredge d311" /><ref name="Artforum n651" /> The mural is largely decorated in a blue palette, and gold and platinum strokes depict the rain that fell during the Apparition at Knock.<ref name="Lubow Etheredge d311" />

Towers

The towers on either side of the central gable measure Template:Convert at the base and retain this square cross-section to a height of Template:Convert.<ref name="nyt18750824" /><ref name="p137886476" /><ref name="Farley p. 157" /> The walls of the towers along Fifth Avenue are Template:Convert thick.<ref name="p553736058" /> The ground story of the towers has portals similar in design to that at the center, but there are shields in the central panel of each gablet. The shield in the left tower has the arms of the United States and the shield in the right tower has the arms of New York.<ref name="nyt18750824" /><ref name="Farley p. 157" /> The second story, at the same height as the rose window, has molded jambs and tracery and is topped by gablets with tracery. The third story has four small windows on each side, topped by a cornice and pierced battlement. The towers are flanked by massive buttresses decorated with tabernacles, and the tops of the towers' square portions have clustered pinnacles.<ref name="Farley p. 158">Template:Harvnb</ref> Above the square cross-sections are octagonal lanterns measuring Template:Convert tall.<ref name="nyt18750824" /><ref name="p137886476" /><ref name="Farley p. 158" /> Circular stone stairways and a chime of bells were installed in the towers.<ref name="Farley p. 158" />

The towers are topped by spires measuring Template:Convert high.<ref name="nyt18750824" /><ref name="p137886476" /><ref name="Farley p. 158" /> The spires are composed of two tiers with elaborate molding and tracery; the upper tier of each tower had a foliate finial above it.<ref name="Farley p. 158" /> The spires were also planned with octagonal cross-sections, tapering from a base measuring Template:Convert across to a pinnacle measuring Template:Convert across. Also planned within the spires were floors, constructed at intervals of Template:Convert.<ref name="nyt18850925" />

Nave

The nave is about Template:Convert long as measured from the Fifth Avenue facade.<ref name="sun18790525" /><ref name="Farley p. 161">Template:Harvnb</ref> It measures Template:Convert wide if chapels are not included, or around Template:Convert wide if the chapels in the side aisles are included.<ref name="sun18790525" /><ref name="Farley p. 161" /> The nave consists of a center aisle and two side aisles running west–east. The center aisle is Template:Convert wide and Template:Convert high while the side aisles are Template:Convert wide and Template:Convert high.<ref name="Farley p. 155" /><ref name="nyt18750824" /> Internally, the nave is divided into seven bays from west to east. The westernmost bay is part of the towers along Fifth Avenue and the easternmost bay is part of the transept. The westernmost bay is Template:Convert wide and the other bays are Template:Convert wide.<ref name="sun18790525" /><ref name="Farley p. 161" /> Just inside the entrances within the westernmost bay are busts of Pope Francis, Pope Benedict XVI, Pope John Paul II, and Pope Paul VI, all of whom have previously visited the cathedral.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Thirty-two white marble columns divide the center and side aisles.<ref name="Farley p. 154" /> The marble columns are Template:Convert in diameter and are set up in sections weighing Template:Convert each.<ref name="p572739957" /> Each column consists of multiple smaller columns: four at the corners, measuring Template:Convert in diameter, and eight surrounding the central shaft, measuring Template:Convert in diameter. The columns are Template:Convert tall to the bottom of the arches that support the nave's ceiling. Above the center aisle is a series of groin vaults supported by molded ribs, with foliate bosses at the intersection of each vault.<ref name="sun18790525" /><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The ceiling has holes with diameters of Template:Convert; ropes could be threaded through these holes to allow repairs and cleaning.<ref name="Farley p. 162">Template:Harvnb</ref> The side aisles are similar to those at Saint-Ouen Abbey, Rouen, while the columns and ceiling are similar to British models such as Westminster Abbey.<ref name="FWP p. 344" />

The northern and southern facades are divided into five bays, with buttresses and pinnacles between each bay. The lower section of each bay contains an arched window measuring Template:Convert wide and Template:Convert wide. Mullions divide each of these windows vertically into three sections, and the top of each window has tracery.<ref name="Farley p. 158" /> Above these windows is the triforium, which is Template:Convert above the nave floor.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Four arches on either side of the nave support the triforium, which is Template:Convert tall. The clerestory level of the nave rises for Template:Convert above the triforium and contains six bays. Each clerestory window is Template:Convert wide and Template:Convert high.<ref name="sun18790525" /><ref name="Farley p. 162" /> The top of the clerestory is Template:Convert above ground.<ref name="Farley p. 159">Template:Harvnb</ref>

There are twelve chapels in the side aisles.<ref name="Lafort p. 306">Template:Harvnb</ref> Located under the side aisles' windowsills, the chapels each measure Template:Convert wide and Template:Convert high.<ref name="sun18790525" /><ref name="Farley p. 161" /> The chapels have similar vaulted ceilings to the nave,<ref name="sun18790525" /> and each has its their own altars.<ref name="p572797988" /><ref name="FWP p. 345" /> On the northern side-aisle is a dark-wood baptistery on a marble podium,<ref name="FWP p. 345" /> The baptistery was designed by John La Farge.<ref name="Untapped New York 2015" /> The chapels include one for St. Bernard and St. Bridget.<ref name="FWP p. 345" /> Among the altars are those for Saint Elizabeth, designed by Roman artist Paolo Medici; a Saint Jean-Baptiste de La Salle altar, sculpted by Dominic Borgia; and the Saint Louis and the Saint Michael altars, designed by Tiffany & Co.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Transepts

The transepts measure Template:Convert from north to south.<ref name="sun18790525" /><ref name="Farley p. 161" /> The transepts contain entrances facing north on 51st Street and south on 50th Street. These entrances are similar in design to the central gable on Fifth Avenue.<ref name="Farley p. 159" /> As planned, the transept doorways were to measure Template:Convert wide and Template:Convert high.<ref name="Harpers 1869" /> The large transept window over the 50th Street door represents St. Patrick, while that over the 51st Street door represents the Immaculate Conception.<ref name="p572669032" /><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The transept windows measure Template:Convert wide by Template:Convert tall and are divided by mullions into six vertical sections.<ref name="p572669032" /><ref name="Farley p. 159" /> Over each transept window rises a paneled gablet. A row of niches crosses each of the transepts' facades at the eave line. Above this, each facade has a gable with pinnacles and pierced battlements, which in turn is topped by an octagonal pinnacle and foliated cross.<ref name="Farley p. 159" />

On both sides of either entrance are tall windows. The windows are similar in design to those on the side aisles of the nave.<ref name="Farley p. 159" /> The side windows depict the Four Evangelists.<ref name="p572739957" /> These windows are flanked by octagonal buttresses, which contain spiral stairs leading to the triforium and roofs.<ref name="Farley p. 159" /> The roof at the intersection of the nave and transept contains a central finial Template:Convert high, which is gilded and is decorated with foliage and flowers.<ref name="sun18790525" /><ref name="Farley p. 160" />

Inside the transepts are the Stations of the Cross, which are carved in stone and were manufactured by the Stoltzenberg Company in Roermond, the Netherlands.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> There are five Stations of the Cross in total.<ref name="Farley pp. 177-178">Template:Harvnb</ref> Three of them received prizes from the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893 before they were installed at the cathedral.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Farley pp. 177-178" /> In 1908, bronze screens were installed at both transept entrances, measuring Template:Convert tall and Template:Convert wide. The bronze screens were designed so the transepts' wooden doors could open directly into them. Each screen had six wrought-bronze panels with ornamentation.<ref name="n80412644" /> The south transept contained the Altar of the Sacred Heart, which was made of bronze and had an elaborate tabernacle.<ref name="Farley p. 174">Template:Harvnb</ref> The north transept contained the Holy Family altar, made of white Carrara marble and dedicated in 1893.<ref name="p573922855" /><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>

Sanctuary

The sanctuary floor is raised six steps above the floor of the nave, connected to it via a set of gray marble steps.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The sanctuary is Template:Convert long and measures Template:Convert wide.<ref name="sun18790525" /><ref name="p137886476" /><ref name="Farley p. 161" /> The roof is made of slate, though the clerestory roof has a metal cresting Template:Convert high.<ref name="Farley p. 160">Template:Harvnb</ref> There is a Template:Convert cross at the east end of the roof, which has flowers and foliage ornaments.<ref name="sun18790525" /><ref name="Farley p. 160" />

Ambulatory

The ambulatory, or side aisle of the sanctuary, is divided from west to east into three bays, similar to those in the nave. The apse has a convex polygonal wall with five bays, which are divided by buttresses with pinnacles.<ref name="Farley p. 159" /> Each bay of the apse has a window Template:Convert wide and Template:Convert high. The windows are divided by mullions into four vertical sections; they are surmounted by paneled gablets with traceries. The walls between the gablets and pinnacles are finished by pierced battlements.<ref name="Farley p. 160" /> The south ambulatory has a marble Pietà sculpture designed by William Ordway Partridge<ref name="Bergman 2001 p. 152" /> and completed in 1905.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The south ambulatory also contains St. Joseph's Altar, which is made of bronze and mosaic.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The first four Cardinals' galeros,Template:Efn or brimmed red felt hats, are mounted at the back of the sanctuary;<ref name="nyt19680103">Template:Cite news</ref> the Catholic Church stopped issuing galeros to its cardinals in 1969.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

There are eleven windows on the sanctuary's clerestory, of which six represent sacrifice (three each on the north and south sides).<ref name="Farley pp. 185-186">Template:Harvnb</ref> The three windows on the north side represent the sacrifices of Abel, Noe, and Melchisedech, while the three on the south side represent the sacrifices of Abraham, the Paschal Lamb, and the Mount of Calvary.<ref name="sun18790525" /><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The five windows on the convex portion of the apse represent subjects from the history of the Lord.<ref name="Farley pp. 185-186" /> The apsidal windows represent the resurrection of Lazarus, the communion of St. John, the resurrection of Jesus, the giving of the keys of heaven to St. Peter, and Jesus meeting the disciples going to Emmaus.<ref name="sun18790525" /><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>

Chancel and high altar

The original chancel and high altar, donated by Cardinal McCloskey,<ref name="Lafort p. 306" /> were three steps above the sanctuary floor and contained a platform of richly colored marble.<ref name="Farley p. 163" /><ref name="nydg1876">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The altar was made in Rome<ref name="Lafort p. 306" /><ref name="nydg1876" /> and designed in the Italian Gothic style.<ref name="nyt18750507">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Farley p. 173">Template:Harvnb</ref> The altar steps intersected a marble tabernacle inlaid with precious stones and mosaics.<ref name="nydg1876" /><ref name="Farley p. 173" /> Three bas-reliefs on the sides and front of the altar were carved in white marble.<ref name="p137886476" /><ref name="nyt18750507" /> The archbishop's pulpit, on the north side of the altar, was made of wood.<ref name="FWP p. 345" /> In 1885, a Gothic-style octagonal pulpit was installed at the south side of the high altar. Weighing Template:Convert and measuring Template:Convert tall, the pulpit was made mostly of Carrara marble, except for six supporting pillars, which were made of Vienna marble.<ref name="p493444104" /> A heavy marble balustrade with carved panels surrounded the main pulpit, which itself was accessed by six marble steps.<ref name="p493444104" /><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The altar was compared to a wedding cake when it was first consecrated.<ref name="p1322000127" /> In 1930, a Template:Convert marble altar rail was designed by Robert J. Reiley and installed in front of the altar. The rail had carvings of saints.<ref name="nyt19300907" />

At the rear of the original high altar was a stylobate with a reredos, or altar screen, measuring Template:Convert long and Template:Convert high.<ref name="nydg1876" /> The clergy of the Archdiocese of New York gifted the altar screen,<ref name="p572797988" /><ref name="Lafort p. 306" /> which was carved from Poitiers stone in France.<ref name="p572797988" /> The reredos was divided vertically into five parts: a central portion measuring Template:Convert wide, flanked on either side by panels measuring Template:Convert and Template:Convert wide. The base of the reredos was made of white marble, inlaid with alabaster and decorated with a bas-relief on each side. The reredos was topped by three towers, one at the center and one on each extreme end. The center tower ascended Template:Convert above the sanctuary floor while the corner towers ascended Template:Convert above the sanctuary floor.<ref name="nydg1876" /> The center spire had a statue of Christ, while the other spires had statues of St. Peter and St. Paul.<ref name="p572797988" /><ref name="nydg1876" /> Between the towers were placed six niches with angels, three on either side of the center spire.<ref name="nydg1876" />

In 1942, the original high altar was removed from St. Patrick's Cathedral and consecrated at Fordham University Church in the Bronx.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It was replaced with the current high altar, which is made of gray-white Italian marble and topped by a bronze baldachin.<ref name="p1256783923" /><ref name="nyt19420510" /> Maginnis & Walsh designed the high altar. It lacks a tabernacle and a reredos, similarly to other high altars in cathedrals. The altar table measures Template:Convert deep and about Template:Convert long. The baldachin is supported by four piers; it slopes upward to a pinnacle with a statue of Christ the King. The statue is flanked by smaller pinnacles with angelic figures.<ref name="p1259332051" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The pulpit is along the south (right) side of the right altar.<ref name="Bergman 2001 p. 152" />

Crypt

Under the high altar is a crypt in which notable Catholic figures that served the Archdiocese of New York are entombed. It is accessed by a set of doors behind the high altar.<ref name="Schroder 2017">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Originally, the entrance to the crypt was hidden by a heavy stone slab that required six people to lift. A stone staircase descended to a vault behind a set of slate doors.<ref name="nyt18960802" /> Large bronze letters with the names of those buried in the crypt are inscribed in the crypt doors.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The crypt is about Template:Convert long and Template:Convert high, with a width of Template:Convert between the rows of coffins on either side. The crypt is square in plan except for a ventilating pipe at the southeast corner.<ref name="nyt18960802">Template:Cite news</ref> It has space to bury either 24<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> or 42 people.<ref name="Farley p. 174" /><ref name="nyt18960802" />

The crypt's interments include all nine past deceased Archbishops of New York:

Template:Div col

John Joseph Hughes (Archbishop, 1850–1864; interred 1883)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
John McCloskey (Archbishop, 1864–1885; interred 1885)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Michael Augustine Corrigan (Archbishop, 1885–1902; interred 1902)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
John Murphy Farley (Archbishop, 1902–1918; interred 1918)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Patrick Joseph Hayes (Archbishop, 1919–1938; interred 1938)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Francis Joseph Spellman (Archbishop, 1939–1967; interred 1967)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Terence James Cooke (Archbishop, 1968–1983; interred 1983)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
John Joseph O'Connor (Archbishop, 1984–2000; interred 2000)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Edward Michael Egan (Archbishop, 2000–2009; interred 2015)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Div col end

Other interments include:

Michael J. Lavelle (Cathedral Rector, 1887–1939, and Vicar General; interred 1939)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Joseph F. Flannelly (Cathedral Rector, 1939–1969, and Auxiliary Bishop, 1948–1969;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> interred 1973)<ref name="nyt20000508">Template:Cite news</ref>
John Maguire (Coadjutor Archbishop, 1965–1980;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> interred 1989)<ref name="nyt20000508" />
Pierre Toussaint (interred 1990)<ref name="nyt20000508" /> – at the time of his interment, the only Catholic layperson to be interred at the cathedral<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Fulton J. Sheen, Auxiliary Bishop of New York from 1951 to 1965 and later Bishop of Rochester, was interred in the crypt upon his death in 1979.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> During the late 2010s, the Archdiocese of New York and his relatives were involved in a three-year court dispute to keep his remains at St. Patrick's Cathedral. On June 27, 2019, Sheen's remains were disinterred from St. Patrick's and transferred to St. Mary's Cathedral in Peoria, Illinois, where he had been ordained.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Cathedral close

Lady chapel

The Lady chapel, designed by Charles T. Mathews, is east of the apse, facing along Madison Avenue.<ref name="aia5" /> It was designed in a 13th-century Gothic style. The rear wall of the apse was partly removed in the first decade of the 20th century to allow the construction of an ambulatory around the choir's outer wall.<ref name="p570915451" /><ref name="nyt19000901" /> The removed section of the apse's wall became part of Our Lady of Lourdes Church at that time.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite fromatoz</ref> The chapel was designed with a roof and belfry made of green bronze, as well as walls surrounded by statues. The walls of the chapel were designed to be plain at the bottom, becoming progressively more elaborately designed at the top.<ref name="p570915451" /><ref name="nyt19000901" /> Several gargoyles were designed as decoration for the chapel's exterior.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The chapel contains fifteen stained-glass windows depicting the mysteries of the rosary, five each for glorious, joyful, and sorrowful scenes. The Lady chapel has nine tall windows, as well as two side chapels with three windows each.<ref name="nyt19300803" />

The chapel is separated from the apse by a Template:Convert glass wall that rests on a Template:Convert glass beam. The glass wall is designed with a minimalist bronze frame.<ref name="Preservation Leadership Forum 2018" /><ref name="MBB Architects 2020">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The interior of the Lady chapel was designed with carved stonework. The original altar, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, had a high carved reredos, a mosaic floor, and a blue color scheme.<ref name="p570915451" /><ref name="nyt19000901" /> The altar was replaced in 1942. The new altar is reached by three brown-marble steps. It consists of a white-marble reredos, an altar table, with a multicolored inlaid marble frontal named "Annunciation" designed by Hildreth Meiere,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and a statue of the Lady on top.<ref name="p11263586673" /> Under the Lady chapel is a crypt for the Kelly family, which had paid for the chapel.<ref name="nyt19300803" />

Rectory

The rectory (originally the Vicar General's house<ref name="nyt18820126" />) is at the southwest corner with 51st Street, on the northeastern section of the cathedral close.<ref name="aia5" /><ref name="FWP p. 346" /> It carries the address 460 Madison Avenue.<ref name="aia5" /> The Gothic-style building is three and a half stories high<ref name="NYCL-0267" /> and is clad with Tuckahoe stone and white marble.<ref name="nyt18820126" /><ref name="rer18820128" /> As designed, it covers a lot measuring Template:Convert. The basement was originally designed as the kitchen, laundry, and servants' quarters. The first floor had a hall clad with marble tiles; the reception and dining rooms were on the left and two parlors were on the right of the hall. The second and third floors were designed as bedrooms. White oak and black walnut was used throughout the building. The rectory had ceilings of Template:Convert on the first and second floors, Template:Convert on the third floor, and Template:Convert on the fourth.<ref name="nyt18820126" /> It had 30 rooms in total.<ref name="nyt19401210" />

The rectory was substantially unchanged from its early-1880s construction until 1940. A new window was installed on the southern facade at ground level; new plumbing, electric wiring, an elevator, and a telephone switchboard were installed; and the curtains were replaced.<ref name="nyt19401210" /> The two first-floor parlors were converted into four offices and a waiting room, and the upper stories were divided into smaller bedrooms and studies.<ref name="p1320115412" /> The rectory retained some original design features such as its black-walnut fireplace mantels.<ref name="nyt19401210" />

In 1920, the rectory also hosted the marriage of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Fitzgerald.<ref name="Schroder 2017" />

Archbishop's residence

The archbishop's residence is at the northwest corner with 50th Street, occupying the southeastern section of the cathedral close.<ref name="aia5" /><ref name="FWP p. 346" /> It carries the address 452 Madison Avenue.<ref name="aia5" /> The archbishop's residence covers Template:Convert.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="CNN 2014">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Gothic-style building is three and a half stories high and is also clad with white marble.<ref name="NYCL-0267" /> A plaque commemorating Pope Paul VI's 1965 visit to the cathedral<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> is mounted on the facade.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Template:As of, Cardinal Dolan shares the archbishop's house with three other priests.<ref name="CNN 2014" /> On the third floor is a chapel for John the Apostle. The right-side wall has a plaque measuring Template:Convert with a holy water font made of silver. The Assumption of Mary, flanked by cherubs, is depicted atop the holy water font. The font was given by Pope Paul VI to Cardinal Cooke in 1971.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Staff

Template:As of, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan is the Archbishop of New York,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> having served in this position since 2009.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Since November 2021, Enrique Salvo has served as the rector of the cathedral.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In addition, Rev. Andrew King is the master of ceremonies, and Rev. Donald Haggerty, Rev. Arthur Golino, and Rev. Ed Dougherty are also on staff. Rev. Stephen Ries serves as Cardinal Dolan's Priest Secretary.<ref name="St. Patricks Cathedral Contact Us">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The director of music is Jennifer Pascual.<ref name="St. Patricks Cathedral Dr Pascual">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The associate directors of music, who also serve as organists, are Daniel Brondel<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Michael Hey.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In addition, Robert M. Evers is the Music Administrator and Programs Editor.<ref name="St. Patricks Cathedral Contact Us"/>

Bells

There are nineteen bells at St. Patrick's Cathedral.<ref name="St. Patricks Cathedral 1901">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The bells were created by the firm of Messrs. Paccard in France and installed in 1897.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> They hang in the northern tower of St. Patrick's Cathedral Template:Convert above ground.<ref name="St. Patricks Cathedral 1901" /><ref name="Compressed Air p. 648">Template:Harvnb</ref> Since there are fewer than 23 bells, the minimum needed to be able to ring two octaves, they hang in a chime instead of a carillon. A 1983 New York Times article reported that the chime was rung every day at 8 a.m., noon, and 6 p.m. Additionally, on Sundays, the chime was rung every 15 minutes between 10 a.m. and noon and every 15 minutes between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Originally, the bells were powered by a compressed air mechanism in the basement.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Pressing a key on the keyboard in the sacristy would activate an electric signal, which in turn would release the compressed air to ring each bell.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="nyt19010315">Template:Cite news</ref> According to The New York Times, St. Patrick's bells were the first to be operated by compressed air.<ref name="nyt19010315" /> Until 1952, the bells could also be rung using tracker action; the bell-ringer would pull a Template:Convert rod between the lever and clapper of each bell.<ref name="St. Patricks Cathedral 1901" />

Each of the bells was donated by a different person or organization. The name of the bell, its donor, and the figure of the crucifixion is carved on each respective bell.<ref name="nyt18970816" />


Name	Tone	Approximate WeightTemplate:Efn	Donor<ref name="nyt18970816" />
St. Patrick	B♭	Template:Convert	Congregation of St. Patrick's Cathedral
Blessed Virgin Template:Efn	C	Template:Convert	John B. Manning
St. Joseph	D	Template:Convert	Joseph J. O'Donohue
Holy Name	E♭	Template:Convert	Holy Name Society
St. Michael	E	Template:Convert	M. C. Coleman
St. Anne	F	Template:Convert	Henry McAleenan
St. Elizabeth	G	Template:Convert	Marquise di San Marzano
St. Augustine of Hippo	A♭	Template:Convert	Augustin Daly
St. Anthony of Padua	A	Template:Convert	I. L. Fox
St. Agnes	B♭	Template:Convert	Lydia Fox
St. John the Evangelist	B	Template:Convert	John D. Crimmins
St. Bridget	C	Template:Convert	Perry and Catherine I. Minister
St. Francis Xavier	C♯	Template:Convert	Congregation of St. Francis Xavier Church
St. Peter	D	Template:Convert	George B. Coleman
St. Cecilia	E♭	Template:Convert	Mrs. Thomas I. Ryan
St. Helena	E	Template:Convert	Leonora and Agnes Keyes
St. Alphonsus Liguori	F	Template:Convert	Mary A. Mills
St. Thomas Aquinas	F♯	Template:Convert	Thomas Kelly
St. Godfrey	G	Template:Convert	Children of Godfrey Amend

Organs

St. Patrick's Cathedral has two pipe organs with more than 9,000 pipes, 206 stops, 150 ranks, and 10 divisions between them.<ref name="New York City 1927">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The two organs are the Gallery Organ, completed in 1930, and the Chancel Organ, completed in 1928; both were manufactured by George Kilgen & Son. Since the mid-1990s, the two organs have been able to operate as a single unit.<ref name="nyt-orgel" /><ref name="St. Patricks Cathedral Organs">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The two organs are controlled by twin 5-manual drawknob consoles and have 207 registers, 116 stops, and 142 ranks between them.<ref name="New York City 1927" />

The Chancel Organ is in the north ambulatory of the sanctuary, adjoining the Chapel of St. Joseph.<ref name="New York City 1927" /><ref name="St. Patricks Cathedral Organs" /> It originally had three manuals, which controlled four divisions. The Chancel Organ originally had 46 registers, 18 stops, and 18 ranks.<ref name="New York City 1927" /> There were 1,480 pipes, placed inside an oak case with Gothic-style carvings.<ref name="St. Patricks Cathedral Organs" /> The Gallery Organ is in the western part of the nave below the Fifth Avenue rose window, as well as in the triforium near the south transept.<ref name="New York City 1927" /><ref name="St. Patricks Cathedral Organs" /> The Gallery Organ had a four-manual stopkey console with 157 registers and 114 ranks.<ref name="New York City 1927" /> There were 7,855 pipes; the shortest measured Template:Convert long and the longest, Template:Convert long, crossed the triforia.<ref name="St. Patricks Cathedral Organs" />

Organ history

The first organ was built by George Jardine & Son and installed in 1879.<ref name="p137886476" /> It was composed of four manuals, 51 stops, and 56 ranks.<ref name="New York City 1927" /> In 1880, J.H. & C.S. Odell installed an organ in the chancel<ref name="p137886476" /> with 2 manuals, 20 stops and 23 ranks.<ref name="New York City 1927" />

George Kilgen & Son designed the two current organs after Pietro Yon was hired to the music staff in the late 1920s.<ref name="New York City 1927" /><ref name="St. Patricks Cathedral Organs" /> The Chancel Organ was dedicated on January 30, 1928,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> while the Gallery Organ was dedicated on February 11, 1930.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Tonal modifications were made in the 1940s and 1950s, and additional renovations occurred in the 1970s and 1980s.<ref name="St. Patricks Cathedral Organs" /> In 1993, while John-Michael Caprio was music director, the old four-manual gallery console and the old three-manual chancel console were replaced with twin five-manual consoles.<ref name="nyt-orgel" /> In early 1994, the Peragallo Pipe Organ Company removed the Gallery Organ’s façade pipes for cleaning.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> That same year, Peragallo made repairs to the organ, addressing the known and pressing issues at the time, and the Chancel Organ underwent remedial repairs.<ref name="nyt-orgel" /> The Echo Organ, situated in the south triforium near the center crossing, underwent tonal modifications, making it generally more robust. It was renamed the Nave Organ. These aforementioned modifications were finished in 1997.<ref name="St. Patricks Cathedral Organs" /> The Gallery and Chancel organs were removed at different times to make room for scaffolding during the cathedral's 2012-2015 restoration; the Chancel Organ was re-installed in 2014, followed the next year by the Gallery Organ.<ref name="St. Patricks Cathedral Organs" />

In March 2024, the Canadian organ company Casavant Frères began the first complete renovation of the organs. The Chancel Organ was disassembled first and sent to Canada.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It was reinstalled in March 2025, and the re-voicing was completed on April 4, 2025. The dismantling of the Gallery Organ and Nave Organ began on May 12, 2025. They are expected to return from Canada fully renovated in the spring of 2027.<ref name="St. Patricks Cathedral Organs" />

Cardinal Dolan began raising funds for the renovation on December 19, 2024.<ref name="St. Patricks Cathedral Organs" />

Directors of music

In the first nine decades of St. Patrick's Cathedral's history, it only had four music directors.<ref name="St. Patricks Cathedral Organs" /><ref name=nyt19700831>Template:Cite news</ref> The first organist and director of music at the current St. Patrick's Cathedral was William F. Pecher, who had been hired at the Old Cathedral in 1862 and served at the current cathedral from 1879 to his death in 1904.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Afterward, Jacques C. Ungerer served as the director of music until 1929. He was succeeded by Pietro Yon, who at the time was an assistant director.<ref name="St. Patricks Cathedral Organs" /> When Yon suffered a stroke in 1943, Dr. Charles Marie Courboin was temporarily appointed to Yon's position.<ref name=p1289081384>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Yon died the same year<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Courboin served as music director until 1970.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The cathedral's fifth music director, John Grady, served as a music director and organist from 1970 to his death in 1990.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Grady was succeeded by John-Michael Caprio, who also served until his death, in 1997.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Four people served as directors over the following six years: John C. West (1997–1999), Robert Long (1999–2001), Don Stefano Concordia (2001), and Johannes Somary (2001–2003).<ref name="St. Patricks Cathedral Organs" /> Since 2003, Jennifer Pascual has served as the music director,<ref name="St. Patricks Cathedral Dr Pascual"/> being the first woman to hold this position.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Incidents

Over the years, St. Patrick's Cathedral has been targeted by bombings and threats:

On October 13, 1914, a bomb exploded on the northwest corner of the cathedral. It tore an 18-inch hole in the floor. One injury was reported: a boy whose head was grazed by a flying piece of metal.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In March 1915, Italian anarchists Frank Abarno and Carmine Carbone of the Bresci Circle were arrested for attempting to detonate a bomb in the cathedral.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In January 1951, a letter threatened that a bomb would be set off at a Sunday Mass, but the Mass continued without any disruption.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Another, telephoned bomb threat occurred in June 1953.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On April 18, 2019, just two days after a fire damaged the Notre-Dame de Paris, a 37-year-old New Jersey man carrying a pair of full two-gallon cans of gasoline, two bottles of lighter fluid, and two extended butane lighters was arrested after attempting to enter the cathedral.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The man was a philosophy professor at nearby Seton Hall University who suffered from schizophrenia.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In addition, there have been numerous instances of vandalism:

In 1944, red paint was splashed on the cathedral. The paint was smeared in a pattern similar to the hammer and sickle of a communist party.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On May 30, 2020, during the nationwide protests and riots following the murder of George Floyd, Black Lives Matter protesters spray-painted pro-BLM and anti-police slogans on the facade.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> Two people were charged the following month for the crime.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On New Year's Day 2021, the cathedral was vandalized again with anti-police graffiti.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Other incidents have included:

A 2020 report by the Vatican accepted earlier reports that the laicized Cardinal Theodore McCarrick committed acts of sex abuse at the cathedral between 1971 and 1972.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On September 21, 1988, a mentally ill man killed an usher and seriously injured an officer before being fatally shot.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On December 10, 1989, ACT UP, a pressure group that advocates for AIDS awareness, led a demonstration of 4,500 people outside the cathedral as part of their Stop the Church campaign. About 130 infiltrated the church and disrupted the Mass, forcing Cardinal John O'Connor to abandon his sermon.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 2002, "shock jocks" Opie and Anthony held a promotion that encouraged listeners of their radio show to have sex in risky places. Two listeners were caught in a vestibule of the church doing so; they were arrested, along with comedian Paul Mecurio.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On February 15, 2024, a funeral service was held for LGBTQ activist Cecilia Gentili, during which eulogies were delivered, which were denounced as irreverent and the behavior by attendees was denounced as sacrilegious and scandalous by the New York Archdiocese. Cardinal Dolan ordered a Mass of Reparation to be offered in reparation for the incident.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

References

Notes

Template:Notelist

Citations

Template:Reflist

Sources

|CitationClass=web }}

External links

Template:Sister project

Template:Official website

Template:Midtown North, Manhattan Template:Fifth Avenue Template:Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York Template:National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan Template:Authority control

St. Patrick's Cathedral (New York City)

History

Early site history

Planning

Construction

Initial work and hiatus

Completion

Opening and late 19th century

20th century

Lady chapel and consecration

1920s through 1940s

1950s to 1990s

21st century

Main structure

Location and dimensions

Western facade

Central gable and doors

Towers

Nave

Transepts

Sanctuary

Ambulatory

Chancel and high altar

Crypt

Cathedral close

Lady chapel

Rectory

Archbishop's residence

Staff

Bells

Organs

Organ history

Directors of music

Incidents

See also

References

Notes

Citations

Sources

Further reading

External links

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