NYC is well-known for it's beautiful gothic and art deco architecture, gargoyles, wrought iron decorative elements, etc. And no trip to NYC would be complete without taking a tour of the city's churches and cathedrals. We also include information on historic synagogues to this list when available.
St. Patrick's Cathedral
14 East 51st St. NYC
212-753-2261
Edward Cardinal Egan
Directions:
Buses: M1, M2, M3, M4.
Subway: 
to 51st St; 
to Fifth Ave.
No admission charge
Hours: 7:30am to 8:30pm daily
St. Patrick's is the largest gothic-style Catholic Cathedral in the US. It is also a parish church. The Cathedral opened it's doors in 1879. When construction started, the Irish comprised about a quarter of Manhattan's population. The Lady Chapel was added in the early 1900's, a new amplification system and modern lighting were installed in 1988 and 1989, and a bas relief sculpture dedicated to Saint Francis Cabrini was mounted on the Cathedral wall in 1989.
St. Patrick's Old Cathedral, which was located on the intersection of Prince and Mott Streets on Mulberry Street. The old cathedral was destroyed by fire in 1866 and was rebuilt and rededicated. It is still a parish church and is the oldest Catholic building in New York City.
The original pipe organs, built by George Jardine and Sons in the 19th century, have been replaced. The Chancel Organ was installed in 1928, and it has 1,480 pipes. The Grand Gallery Organwas installed in 1930. The organs can be played from either of two five-manual consoles, and have a total of 177 stops
-The Cathedral is built of white
marble quarried in New York and Massachusetts.
-The Windows were made by renowned artists in Chartres, France; Birmingham,
England and Boston Massachusetts. -The great rose window was designed by Charles
Connick.
-The Cathedral seats about 2,200 people.The exterior length is about 405 feet;
the width is 274 feet.
-The spires rise 330 feet from street level.The architect was James Renwick. The
Lady Chapel was designed by Charles Mathews.
-The St. Michael and St. Louis altar was designed by Tiffany and Co. The St.
Elizabeth altar was designed by Paolo Medici of Rome.
-The Archbishops of New York are buried in a crypt under the high altar. Their
honorary hats ("galeros") hang from the ceiling over their tombs.
-The Stations of the Cross are works of art which won first prize at the Chicago
World's Fair in 1893.
-The Pieta is three times larger than the Pieta in St. Peter's, Rome.
-The Cathedral has three organs.The baldachin (canopy) over the main altar is
solid bronze.
- Each year over 3 million tourists and faithful visit St. Patrick's.
Cathedral
Schedule
SUNDAY
MASS SCHEDULE:
Saturday: 5:30 PM Mass (fulfills Sunday Obligation)
Sunday Morning Masses:
7:00,
8:00, 9:00, 10:15 (Cardinal's Mass)
Sunday Afternoon Masses: 12:00, 1:00, 4:00, 5:30
WEEKLY MASS SCHEDULE:
Morning Masses: 7:00, 7:30, 8:00, 8:30
Afternoon Masses: 12:00, 12:30, 1:00. 5:30
SATURDAY MASS SCHEDULE:
Morning Masses: 8:00, 8:30 (Lady Chapel)
Afternoon Masses: 12:00, 12:30
Evening Mass: 5:30 (fulfills Sunday Obligation)
HOLY DAY MASS SCHEDULE:
Morning Masses: 7:00, 7:30, 8:00, 8:30, 9:00, 11:00, 11:30
Afternoon Masses: 12:00, 12:30, 1:00, 5:30, 6:30
CONFESSION SCHEDULE:
After every morning weekday Mass and from 12:00 to 1:00 PM
Saturday from 3:30 to 5:30 PM
DEVOTION SCHEDULE:
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Monday through Friday, in the Lady Chapel
from 9 AM to 6 PM
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament follows evening devotions:
Monday Miraculous Medal Novena 6:00 PM
Tuesday & Thursday Rosary 6:00 PM
Wednesday Scripture Service 6:00 PM
Friday Litany of the Sacred Heart 6:00 PM
First Friday of every month:
Nocturnal Adoration in the Lady Chapel from 9:00 PM to 7:30 AM Saturday
Lent:
Stations of the Cross at 6:00 PM on
Wednesday and Friday except Ash Wednesday
There are many churches of all denominations throughout Manhattan,
here are just a few special mentions.
Trinity
Church
Broadway at Wall
Street, NYC
Trinity Church has always ministered to the needs of the poor and disadvantaged. The city's first ministry to African-Americans, both enslaved and free, began at Trinity in 1705. During the 19th and 20th centuries, Trinity offered special ministries to meet the needs and hopes of successive waves of immigrants who poured into New York.
112th
Street and Amsterdam Avenue, one block east of Broadway
Monday - Saturday, 7 AM to 6 PM, Sunday 7 AM - 7 PM
General Information
212-316-7540
Chartered as a
"house of prayer for all people," the Cathedral welcomes through its
great bronze doors diverse races, cultures and traditions. From the St. Francis
Day Blessing of the Animals, Christmas, and Easter celebrations, to the World
AIDS Day services and Choral Evensong by Candlelight, worship at the Cathedral
explores the wonder and mystery of existence in which all things and all beings
are seen to be connected.
St.
Joseph's Catholic Church in Greenwich Village
371 Sixth Avenue / Avenue
of the Americas
Between Waverly and Washington Place
Two blocks south of 8th Street
St. Bartholomew's Church
St.
Bartholomew’s Church
109 East 50th Street
New York, NY 10022
212-378-0200
Founded in 1835, “St. Bart’s” is one of NYC's great landmark churches,
committed to a renewal based on powerful worship, unconditional welcome for the
seeker.
Christ and St. Stephen's Episcopal Church
The Christ and St. Stephen's Episcopal Church was inaugurated on December 26,
1805. The building was one among 134 other religious edifices in the city at
that time, the fifth Episcopal parish in the Diocese of New York and situated in
a growing area of the city on the corner of what is now Broom and Chrystie
Streets
Located on the Upper
West Side, on the edge of the Morningside and Harlem communities of New York
City, the edifice is modeled after the 13th Century gothic cathedral in
Chartres, France. Its gothic tower stands as a beacon to the world and continues
to bring people of different faiths together. This church is renowned for its
74-bell carillon, the heaviest and one of the largest in the world. It plays
three times every Sunday. The tower is open on selected days
St. Paul's Chapel
Located directly across from the World Trade
Center site
When St. Paul's Chapel was completed in 1766, it stood in a field some distance
from the growing port city to the south. It was built as a
"chapel-of-ease" for parishioners who lived far from the primary, or
"Mother," church. Today, St. Paul's Chapel is Manhattan's oldest
public building in continuous use, and its remaining colonial church.
Georgian Classic-Revival style, and resembling
London's St. Martin-in-the-Fields. St. Paul's is constructed of Manhattan
mica-schist with brownstone quoins; its woodwork, carving, and door hinges are
handmade.
The ornamental design of the "Glory" over the altar is the work of
Pierre L'Enfant, who designed Washington, D.C. The "Glory" depicts Mt.
Sinai in clouds and lightning, the Hebrew word for "God" in a
triangle, and the two tablets of the Law with the Ten Commandments.
The pulpit is surmounted by a coronet and six feathers. Fourteen original
cut-glass chandeliers hang in the nave and the galleries. The organ case was
built in 1804.
The Old Broadway Synagogue
The Old Broadway Synagogue is a small historic Shul located on Old Broadway in the neighborhood of Columbia University, Teacher's College, Jewish Theological Seminary, Bank Street College, Manhattan School of Music and Barnard.
Located just northeast of the intersection of 125th Street and Broadway, where the Morningside Heights and Harlem communities create Manhattanville, near Riverside Park. Old Broadway is a small street one half-block east of Broadway on the north side of 125th Street. Once you find it, walk one half block north of 125th Street on Old Broadway.
St.
Pat's artwork derivedfrom vintage
imagery of St. Patrick's Cathedral in the early to mid-1900's
-interior image painting and animation recreated from a postcard view c. 1915
©Eye Candy Design
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