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  • About
    • Welcome
      • Cardinal's Welcome
      • Mission
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      • Contact & Staff Directory
    • Our Leadership
      • His Eminence, Timothy Cardinal Dolan
      • Trustees of St. Patrick’s Cathedral
      • Board of St. Patrick's Cathedral Landmark Foundation
    • History & Heritage
      • History & Heritage
      • Historical Timeline
      • Saint Patrick
      • Archbishops of New York
      • The Great Cathedral Fair, 1878
      • The High Altar & Baldachino
      • Saint Campaign
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      • Media Requests
  • Give
      • Support St. Patrick's Cathedral
      • 2025 Easter Giving
      • Renew the Living Voices: The Kilgen Organ Campaign
      • Support Friends of Music
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  • Headline Section 826782
    • The story of New York’s great cathedral mirrors the story of the city itself. Created to affirm the ascendance of religious freedom and tolerance, St. Patrick’s Cathedral was built in the democratic spirit, paid for not only by the contributions of thousands of poor immigrants but also by the largesse of 103 prominent citizens who pledged $1,000 each. St. Patrick’s Cathedral proves the maxim that no generation builds a cathedral. It is rather, a kind of ongoing conversation linking generations past, present and future. 



      Laying the foundations of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, c. 1860’s
       

      The cornerstone of St. Patrick’s Cathedral was laid in 1858 and her doors swept open in 1879. It was over 160 years ago when Archbishop John Hughes announced his inspired ambition to build the “new” St. Patrick’s Cathedral. 

      In a ceremony at Old St. 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. 


      LEARN MORE:

      “The Fair” to raise money for the opening of St. Patrick’s took place from October 22 to November 30, 1878. It was the largest ecclesiastical fair ever held in the U.S.

      Click here to learn more about "The Fair"

  • About
    • Welcome
      • Cardinal's Welcome
      • Mission
      • FAQ's
      • Contact & Staff Directory
    • Our Leadership
      • His Eminence, Timothy Cardinal Dolan
      • Trustees of St. Patrick’s Cathedral
      • Board of St. Patrick's Cathedral Landmark Foundation
    • History & Heritage
      • History & Heritage
      • Historical Timeline
      • Saint Patrick
      • Archbishops of New York
      • The Great Cathedral Fair, 1878
      • The High Altar & Baldachino
      • Saint Campaign
    • News & Media
      • News & Media Office
      • Media Requests
  • Give
      • Support St. Patrick's Cathedral
      • 2025 Easter Giving
      • Renew the Living Voices: The Kilgen Organ Campaign
      • Support Friends of Music
      • Planned Giving
      • Light a Prayer Candle
  • Mass & Sacraments
    • Mass
      • Live Stream
      • Upcoming Special Masses and Events
      • Christmas Mass Lottery
      • Daily Readings
      • Video Archive
      • Mass Enrollments
      • Mass Cards
    • Sacraments
      • Sacraments & Records
      • Holy Matrimony
      • Baptism Guidelines
      • Baptismal Records Request
      • Marriage Record Request
      • Confirmation Record Request
  • Tours
  • Our Community
    • Welcome
      • Welcome
      • Parishioner
      • Parishioner Stewardship Program
      • 2025 Jubilee: Year of Hope
      • The Good Newsroom
      • Basilica of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral
      • Let the Oppressed Go Free
    • Calendars
    • Ministries
      • Social Ministry
      • Young Adult Ministry
      • Our Lady's Hands Ministry
    • Volunteer
      • Volunteer
      • Society of St. Vincent de Paul
    • Share
      • Sign Our Guest Book
      • Share your St. Patrick’s Story
  • Music
    • Concerts
      • 2024-25 Concert Series
      • Become A Friend of Music
      • Renew the Living Voices: The Kilgen Organ Campaign
      • Kilgen Organ Recital Series
      • Guest Choir Concert Series
    • Music Department
      • Music Department Staff
      • St. Patrick's Cathedral Choir
      • Discography
      • The Cathedral Organs
      • The Cathedral Bells
      • Archive
    • Guests
      • Information for Guest Choirs
      • Info for Guest Organ Recitalists
      • Volunteer Cantor Program
  • Gift Shop
  • Watch
St. Patrick's Cathedral
5th Ave between 50th/51st Streets, New York, NY 10022
T: 212.753.2261   •   F: 212.755.4128  
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