St. Patrick's Old Cathedral, New York
Encyclopedia
The Basilica of Saint Patrick's Old Cathedral, or Old St. Patrick's, is located at 260-264 Mulberry Street
between Prince and Houston Streets in the Nolita neighborhood of Manhattan
, New York City
, with the primary entrance currently located on Mott Street
. Built between 1809 and 1815, and designed by Joseph-François Mangin
in the Gothic Revival style
, it was the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
until the current Saint Patrick's Cathedral
opened in 1879. Liturgies are celebrated in English and Spanish.
The church was designated a New York City landmark in 1966, and the cathedral complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1977. It was declared a minor basilica
by Pope Benedict XVI
on March 17, 2010.
on Barclay Street, the cornerstone of which was laid in 1785. By the early 19th Century, the Jesuit rector of the church, Father Kohlmann, realized that the city's growing Catholic population needed a second sanctuary, and, since the city had been made a see
in 1808, a cathedral for the first bishop. The site he selected for the new church was being used a cemetery for St. Peter's, and was well outside the settled area of the city, surrounded by farmland and the country houses of the rich. The architect chosen was Joseph-Francois Mangin, who had co-designed New York's City Hall
with John McComb, Jr. construction on which was ongoing when the cornerstone of St. Patrick's was laid on June 8, 1809. Construction took just under five years, with the sanctuary being dedicated on May 14, 1815. In that same year, John Connally, an Irish Dominican, arrived to take office as the city's first bishop. The church, which was the largest in the city at the time it was built, measures 120 by 80 feet and the inner vault is 85 feet high.
Until 1830, the Cathedral was the ending place of the annual St. Patrick's Day parade. After that, it ended on Ann Street at the Church of the Transfiguration
, whose pastor, Father Varela, was Cuban, but was a fervent nationalist and the chaplin of the Hibernian Universal Benevolent Society. Eventually, the parade moved uptown to pass in front of the new St. Patrick's Cathedral.
In 1836, the cathedral was the subject of an attempted sack
after tensions between Irish Catholics and anti-Catholic Know-Nothing nativists led to a number of riots and other physical confrontations. The situation worsened when a brain-injured young woman wrote a book telling her "true" story – a Protestant girl who converted to Catholicism, and was then forced by nuns to have sex with priests, with the resulting children being baptized then killed horribly. Despite the book being debunked by a mildly anti-Catholic magazine editor, nativist anger at the story resulted in a decision to attack the cathedral. Loophole
s were cut in the church's outer walls, which had just recently been built, and the building was defended from the rioters with muskets. Afterwards, the Ancient Order of Hibernians
established its headquarters across the street from the church. Thirty years later, in 1866, the structure was gutted by fire, and even though the new St. Patrick's was already under construction, the old cathedral was restored under the direction of architect Henry Engelbert
and reopened in 1868.
Since 1879, St. Patrick's Old Cathedral has been a parish church, the pastor residing in the old Bishop's House at 263 Mulberry Street. Today's multi-ethnic parish also formerly included Most Holy Crucifix Church, which now is the San Lorenzo Ruiz Chapel and houses the Filipino Catholic Apostolate for the Archdiocese of New York.
scene in The Godfather
was filmed at the old Cathedral, as was the scene in The Godfather, Part III in which Michael Corleone
receives an honor from the church. A scene in Mean Streets
was set in the cathedral's walled graveyard.
Mulberry Street (Manhattan)
Mulberry Street is a principal thoroughfare in Manhattan, New York. The street was listed on maps of the area since at least 1755. The "Bend" in Mulberry in which the street changes direction from southwest to northeast to a northerly direction was to avoid the wetlands surrounding the Collect Pond...
between Prince and Houston Streets in the Nolita neighborhood of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, with the primary entrance currently located on Mott Street
Mott Street
Mott Street is a narrow but busy thoroughfare that runs in a north-south direction in the borough of Manhattan in New York City in the United States. It is best known as Chinatown's unofficial "Main Street". Mott Street runs from Chatham Square in the south to Bleecker Street in the north...
. Built between 1809 and 1815, and designed by Joseph-François Mangin
Joseph-François Mangin
Joseph-François Mangin was an American architect who designed many landmarks in the 18th and 19th century-New York.-Career:Mangin appears to have lived and worked in Paris. He worked with Ange-Jacques Gabriel on the design of the Place de la Concorde, Paris...
in the Gothic Revival style
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
, it was the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York covers New York, Bronx, and Richmond counties in New York City , as well as Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester counties in New York state. There are 480 parishes...
until the current Saint Patrick's Cathedral
St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York
The Cathedral of St. Patrick is a decorated Neo-Gothic-style Roman Catholic cathedral church in the United States...
opened in 1879. Liturgies are celebrated in English and Spanish.
The church was designated a New York City landmark in 1966, and the cathedral complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1977. It was declared a minor basilica
Minor basilica
Minor basilica is a title given to some Roman Catholic churches. By canon law no Catholic church can be honoured with the title of basilica unless by apostolic grant or from immemorial custom....
by Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
on March 17, 2010.
History
The first Roman Catholic church in New York City was St. Peter'sSt. Peter's Roman Catholic Church, New York
St Peter's Church is the oldest Roman Catholic parish in New York City and part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. The church was designated a landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1965. The original church's cornerstone was laid in 1785 and the first...
on Barclay Street, the cornerstone of which was laid in 1785. By the early 19th Century, the Jesuit rector of the church, Father Kohlmann, realized that the city's growing Catholic population needed a second sanctuary, and, since the city had been made a see
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
in 1808, a cathedral for the first bishop. The site he selected for the new church was being used a cemetery for St. Peter's, and was well outside the settled area of the city, surrounded by farmland and the country houses of the rich. The architect chosen was Joseph-Francois Mangin, who had co-designed New York's City Hall
New York City Hall
New York City Hall is located at the center of City Hall Park in the Civic Center area of Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA, between Broadway, Park Row, and Chambers Street. The building is the oldest City Hall in the United States that still houses its original governmental functions, such as...
with John McComb, Jr. construction on which was ongoing when the cornerstone of St. Patrick's was laid on June 8, 1809. Construction took just under five years, with the sanctuary being dedicated on May 14, 1815. In that same year, John Connally, an Irish Dominican, arrived to take office as the city's first bishop. The church, which was the largest in the city at the time it was built, measures 120 by 80 feet and the inner vault is 85 feet high.
Until 1830, the Cathedral was the ending place of the annual St. Patrick's Day parade. After that, it ended on Ann Street at the Church of the Transfiguration
Church of the Transfiguration (New York City)
The Church of the Tranfiguration is a Roman Catholic parish located at 25 Mott Street on the northwest corner of Mosco Street in the Chinatown neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City...
, whose pastor, Father Varela, was Cuban, but was a fervent nationalist and the chaplin of the Hibernian Universal Benevolent Society. Eventually, the parade moved uptown to pass in front of the new St. Patrick's Cathedral.
In 1836, the cathedral was the subject of an attempted sack
Looting
Looting —also referred to as sacking, plundering, despoiling, despoliation, and pillaging—is the indiscriminate taking of goods by force as part of a military or political victory, or during a catastrophe, such as during war, natural disaster, or rioting...
after tensions between Irish Catholics and anti-Catholic Know-Nothing nativists led to a number of riots and other physical confrontations. The situation worsened when a brain-injured young woman wrote a book telling her "true" story – a Protestant girl who converted to Catholicism, and was then forced by nuns to have sex with priests, with the resulting children being baptized then killed horribly. Despite the book being debunked by a mildly anti-Catholic magazine editor, nativist anger at the story resulted in a decision to attack the cathedral. Loophole
Loophole
A loophole is a weakness that allows a system to be circumvented.Loophole may also refer to:*Arrowslit, a slit in a castle wall*Loophole , a short science fiction story by Arthur C...
s were cut in the church's outer walls, which had just recently been built, and the building was defended from the rioters with muskets. Afterwards, the Ancient Order of Hibernians
Ancient Order of Hibernians
The Ancient Order of Hibernians is an Irish Catholic fraternal organization. Members must be Catholic and either Irish born or of Irish descent. Its largest membership is now in the United States, where it was founded in New York City in 1836...
established its headquarters across the street from the church. Thirty years later, in 1866, the structure was gutted by fire, and even though the new St. Patrick's was already under construction, the old cathedral was restored under the direction of architect Henry Engelbert
Henry Engelbert
Henry Engelbert was an architect best known for buildings in the French Second Empire style, which emphasized elaborate mansard roofs with dormers. New York's Grand Hotel on Broadway is the most noteworthy extant example of Engelbert's work in the French Second Empire Style...
and reopened in 1868.
Since 1879, St. Patrick's Old Cathedral has been a parish church, the pastor residing in the old Bishop's House at 263 Mulberry Street. Today's multi-ethnic parish also formerly included Most Holy Crucifix Church, which now is the San Lorenzo Ruiz Chapel and houses the Filipino Catholic Apostolate for the Archdiocese of New York.
Cathedral complex
- St. Patrick's Old Cathedral School at 32 Prince Street between Mulberry and Mott Streets, across Prince Street from the Cathedral, predates the church itself. It was built in 1825-26 as the Roman Catholic Orphan Asylum, operated by the Sisters of CharitySisters of CharityMany religious communities have the term Sisters of Charity as part of their name. The rule of Saint Vincent for the Daughters of Charity has been adopted and adapted by at least sixty founders of religious orders around the world in the subsequent centuries....
. In 1851, the asylum became for girls only, and in 1886 became a girls' school, St. Patrick's Convent and Girl's School. The Federal-styleFederal architectureFederal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the United States between c. 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815. This style shares its name with its era, the Federal Period. The name Federal style is also used in association with furniture design...
building is a New York City landmark, designated in 1966.
- In 1859, a "Gingerbread Gothic" Chancery Office Building was built at 266 Mulberry Street, just north of the sanctuary, designed by James Renwick, Jr.James Renwick, Jr.James Renwick, Jr. , was a prominent American architect in the 19th-century. The Encyclopedia of American Architecture calls him "one of the most successful American architects of his time".-Life and work:Renwick was born into a wealthy and well-educated family...
and William Rodrigue, who would go on to design the new cathedral. The building would later become St. Michael's Chapel and, since 1936, St. Michael's Russian Catholic Church of the Byzantine Rite, the liturgy is said and sung in Old SlavonicOld SlavonicOld Slavonic may refer to:*Old Church Slavonic language*Common Slavonic language...
, Russian, and English. St. Michael's is the last Russian Catholic church in New York City and one of only four remaining such sanctuaries in the United States.
In popular culture
The baptismBaptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
scene in The Godfather
The Godfather
The Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
was filmed at the old Cathedral, as was the scene in The Godfather, Part III in which Michael Corleone
Michael Corleone
Michael Corleone is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's novels, The Godfather and The Sicilian. He is also the main character of the Godfather film trilogy that was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, in which he was portrayed by Al Pacino, who was twice nominated for an Academy Award for his...
receives an honor from the church. A scene in Mean Streets
Mean Streets
Mean Streets is a 1973 drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Scorsese and Mardik Martin. The film stars Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro. It was released by Warner Bros. on October 2, 1973...
was set in the cathedral's walled graveyard.