Thursday, July 13, 2017

Basilica of Saint Patrick's Old Cathedral - New York City

What is now the Basilica of Saint Patrick's Old Cathedral in Manhattan was built between 1809 and 1815 and was the cathedral for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York until the current Saint Patrick's Cathedral opened in 1879.
Because of small street, vegetation and tall building, it is difficult to get a good outside photo of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral.
There are claims it was the largest church in New York at the time it was built. It has been a parish church since 1879 in a multi-ethnic neighborhood. Liturgies are given in Chinese, Spanish and English. Pope Benedict XVI declared it a minor basilica in 2010. 

Looking toward the main altar.
Looking toward the entrance and the organ pipes.
View of portion of the grave yard which surrounds three sides of the building. 
A side altar.
Of interest, it has been featured in several movies: a baptism scene in The Godfather;  Michael Corleone receiving an honor from the church in The Godfather Part III; and a scene in the graveyard was in Mean Streets produced by Martin Scorsese. 
St. Patrick in stained glass.
Mary and the Assumption
Young Mary with her mother, Anna.
Young Jesus with his father, Joseph.
We visited because we have added basilicas to our list of travel interests. It is a nice, relatively old church, but not something I would go out of the way to see on a vacation (although I did). 
A sample of the Stations of the Cross (Station 11)
Station 10

1 comment:

  1. Great shots of the stained glass windows, and I love the two Stations of the Cross scenes that you included. If someone needs more incentive to visit, they should know there is a great bakery across the street.

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