While her cornerstone was laid in 1858 and her doors swept open in 1879, it was over 150 years ago, when Archbishop John Hughes announced his inspired ambition to build the “new” Saint Patrick’s Cathedral.
In a ceremony at Old Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Archbishop Hughes proposed “for the glory of Almighty God, for the honor of the Blessed and Immaculate Virgin, for the exaltation of Holy Mother Church, for the dignity of our ancient and glorious Catholic name, to erect a Cathedral in the City of New York that may be worthy of our increasing numbers, intelligence, and wealth as a religious community, and at all events, worthy as a public architectural monument, of the present and prospective crowns of this metropolis of the American continent.”
Ridiculed as “Hughes’ Folly,” as the proposed, near-wilderness site was considered too far outside the city, Archbishop Hughes, nonetheless, persisted in his daring vision of building the most beautiful, Gothic Cathedral in the New World in what he believed would one day be “the heart of the city.” Neither the bloodshed of the Civil War, nor the resultant lack of manpower or funds, would derail the ultimate fulfillment of Hughes’ dream and Architect, James Renwick’s bold plan.
Through the generosity of 103 citizens who pledged $1,000 each and the collective “pennies” of thousands of largely Irish, immigrant poor, Hughes’ vision became a shining reality.
The Great Cathedral Fair, 1878
After several weeks of fund raising efforts through The Great Cathedral Fair in October and November of 1878, his successor and the first American cardinal, John Cardinal McCloskey presided over the dedication of the Cathedral on May 25, 1879.
Each generation has added to her splendor. Her spires were completed in 1888 and The Lady Chapel in 1906. Her Kilgen Organs were installed in 1929. Major capital campaigns were conducted in the 1940’s and the 1970’s under Cardinals Spellman and Cooke, respectively. The Kilgen Organs were restored in the mid 1990s, and the gem of the Cathedral, the Lady Chapel was restored in 2003. Recent restorations have included the Main Altar, the chapels of Saints Anthony, Elizabeth, Jean Baptiste de la Salle, Louis and Michael and the Sacristy. Construction is underway on a new shrine to honor Our Lady of Czestochowa and will include paintings and statuary of Saints Casimir, Faustina, Jadwiga, Maximilian Kolbe and Stanislaus Kostka. Also in 2005, the chapels of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Saint Andrew will be restored.
Now, as then, the Cathedral remains a gift from one generation to the next. And today, through The Friends of Saint Patrick’s, memorial gifts, The Legacy Society, The Cathedral Preservation Fund, special events, spiritual enrollments and general support, we are renewing our efforts to preserve this masterpiece for the glory of God and the service of humanity.
As Brendan Gill wrote in his introduction to St. Patrick’s Cathedral: A Centennial History, “In the Old World, for well over a thousand years the center of a city was thought to be wherever its Cathedral stood… We are a city that, even within its comparatively narrow confines, has always tended to spin apart. To speak only of Manhattan (the original New York City of Hughes’ day), we have Wall Street and Greenwich Village and Chinatown and Chelsea and Times Square and the Upper East Side and Riverside Drive and Harlem and Washington Heights and scores of other districts and neighborhoods; yet we have few places that convey an authentic sense of being at the very heart of things. St. Patrick’s is such a place. Aided by the graceful presence of its neighbor, Rockefeller Center …, the Cathedral dominates Fifth Avenue as easily today as it has ever done… Thanks to the program of preservation carried out under the watchful eye…, the building has never looked more beautiful. There it stands for our delight and, if necessary, for our consolation. Its front steps are a parvis, if not a Paradise, and young and old take the sun upon their faces there as a sort of benediction, while the scattered benedictions of a thousand rosy candles wink and twinkle within.”
Herein, we are pleased to share photos depicting the evolution of the Cathedral and the city which rose up around it, all testament to generations of faithful patrons, craftsmen, laborers and leadership; and, of course, to “Dagger” John Hughes, one of the most visionary and colorful characters in American Catholic history.
We honor Archbishop Hughes’ amazing foresight, courage and persistence. We pray that our vision and efforts may be ever worthy of his original inspiration. And we humbly pray that our extended community may continue to dream great dreams and utilize this splendid Cathedral of Saint Patrick, through your generosity, in ways old and new for the glory of God.
Historical Timeline
1785 – In New York City there were only two hundred Catholics and one priest. The predecessor church of the Cathedral of St. Patrick’s was dedicated to the Prince of the Apostles – St. Peter - and was built and dedicated on Barclay Street in lower Manhattan. It is the oldest Roman Catholic parish in New York City Today.
1805 – Mrs. Elizabeth Bayley Seton, founder of the Sisters of Charity in this country, was converted to Catholicism and made her profession of faith, received first communion and was confirmed in the old St. Peter’s Church.
1808 – The Diocese of New York was created and comprised the entire State of New York and the eastern part of New Jersey. It was one of four suffrage sees within the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
1809 – The recent elevation of New York as an Episcopal see with its own bishop inspired the increasing Catholic population to build the original Cathedral of New York under the name of Ireland’s patron saint, St. Patrick. The site chosen belonged to the corporation of St. Peter’s Church and was located on Mulberry Street in lower Manhattan. The cornerstone was laid in June 1809.
1815 – A news article in the New York Gazette declared: “The new Catholic church in this city was last Thursday, Ascension Day, solemnly dedicated to God under the name of St. Patrick. This grand and beautiful church, which may justly be considered one of the greatest ornaments of our city, and inferior in point of elegance to none in the United States, is built in the Gothic style and executed agreeable to the design of Mr. Joseph Mangin, the celebrated architect of New York. The superior elegance of the architecture, as well as the beauty of the interior, had for some months past excited a considerable degree of public curiosity. Upwards of four thousand persons consisting of the best families of New York attended the dedication.” which was begun in 1809 and lately so far completed as to be fit for divine service,
1842 – Bishop John Hughes became Bishop of New York. He later expanded the Cathedral making it the largest church structure in New York City, while safely guiding the growth of the city’s catholic population during a time of much religious bigotry and turmoil.
1850 – New York becomes an archdiocese and Bishop Hughes becomes the first archbishop.
1853 – Archbishop Hughes announced plans “to erect a Cathedral in the City of New York that may be worthy of our increasing numbers, intelligence and wealth as a religious community, and at all events, worthy, as a public architectural monument, of the present and prospective crowns of this metropolis of the American continent”
1853 – Renowned architect James Renwick was engaged to design the current Cathedral at a cost of approximately $850,000, not including the altars, furnishings for chapels, organs and other furniture. The stone chosen was white marble.
1858 – The new St. Patrick’s Cathedral, with
boundaries between Fifth and Madison Avenues and Fiftieth and Fifty-First
Streets, was laid on the site of the old St. John’s Church. The cornerstone
was laid August 15, 1858. Construction of the new Cathedral progressed
rapidly until interrupted by the Civil War and the need for additional
funding.
1864 – After the death of the beloved Archbishop Hughes, Bishop John McCloskey was installed Archbishop of New York. Construction of the Cathedral resumed shortly after the close of the war.
1866 – On the night of October 6, 1866, old historic St. Patrick’s on Mulberry Street was destroyed by fire; the Cathedral was rebuilt within the four original walls that remained and dedicated on St. Patrick’s Day 1868.
1875 – The first American Cardinal, Cardinal John McCloskey, was invested in the old Cathedral.
1878 – A fund- raising fair was held in the new St. Patrick’s Cathedral, with forty-five parishes sponsoring tables. Receipts of $172,625 were raised to assist in purchasing furnishings for the Cathedral.
1879 – St. Patrick’s Cathedral was opened formally on May 25, 1879. The newspapers hailed the new Cathedral as “the noblest temple ever raised in any land to the memory of St. Patrick, and as the glory of Catholic America.”
1884 – On the occasion of his fiftieth anniversary as a priest, Cardinal McCloskey was presented with the beautiful marble pulpit as a gift from the clergy.
1888 – The spires of the Cathedral were completed during the stewardship of Archbishop Michael Corrigan.
1900 – Construction of the Lady Chapel was begun and the first Mass was offered in the Chapel on Christmas 1906. Construction with all furnishings was completed in 1908.
1909 – The first of the Lady Chapel stained glass windows was installed with the remainder to follow over the next twenty-five years. They were designed and constructed in England.
1911 – On October 5, 1911, the Cathedral became free from debt and was solemnly consecrated by Archbishop Farley who later was made Cardinal. It was estimated that over $4 million had been spent from start to the day of consecration.
1927 – In honor of the 50th Anniversary of the dedication of the Cathedral, Cardinal Hayes inaugurated the largest renovation project in the history of the Cathedral. The sanctuary was enlarged, the choir gallery was rebuilt, new chancel and gallery organs were built, a new baptistery was added and new nave flooring and pews were put in place. The sanctuary was enclosed by an oak screen and a handsomely designed altar railing with statues of St. Anthony and St. Andrew added.
1936 – On October 11, 1936, Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli, who later became Pope Pius XII, presided at the 26th anniversary of the consecration of the Cathedral.
1941-1947 – Cardinal Spellman found benefactors to underwrite many of these improvements as well as those added in subsequent years, including most of the upper windows, the bronze doors, statues and side altars and extensive repairs of the marble exterior facade.
1942 – The new Lady Chapel altar and new high altar and baldachin, more appropriate for a Gothic Cathedral design, were consecrated by Archbishop Spellman. The famous stained glass artisan Charles Connick designed a number of upper windows. The architect of the renovations was Charles Maginnis of Maginnis and Walsh.
1950’s – Installation of the upper windows was completed. The crowning stained glass work was the installation of the grand rose window over the west portal.
1972 – During Cardinal Cooke’s administration the entire interior of the Cathedral was restored. Restoration of the exterior was completed for the Cathedral’s 100th anniversary.
1984-2000 – During Cardinal O’Connor’s episcopate, extensive renovations were made to maintain the structural integrity of the building, including replacement of much of the roof, resetting the exterior steps, repainting the transept walls and refinishing the transept doors. The Cathedral’s organs were rebuilt and television monitors were added so that all congregants at services might be able to participate fully in the liturgy. The bells were restored and a new lighting system was installed.
2000 – Since Cardinal Egan’s arrival, the Lady Chapel, including windows, was cleaned and restored. The restoration of the altar of St. Anthony was completed and a fine bas relief of St. Francis Cabrini was hung. The Sanctuary with its two altars, the sacristy, the baldachin and the great carved wood screen around the sanctuary were restored to their original splendor. A new shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Czestochowa and various saints of Poland was dedicated as was the restored St. Andrew’s Chapel in 2005.
