St. Patrick's Cathedral by Bianca Hinnen

About "St. Patrick's Cathedral"

by Bianca Hinnen

About the artwork

Saint Patrick's Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral located on Fifth Avenue off 50th Street in Manhattan, New York.

The church is 110 m long and 58 m wide. The nave is 36 m high and 16 m wide. The two pointed towers are over 100.5 m high. The front has three bronze doors.
In March 6, 1810, the land was purchased for $11,000, actually the plan was to build an orphanage there. Archbishop John Joseph Hughes announced on October 6, 1850 that he wanted to build a new cathedral on that site, replacing the old St. Patrick's Cathedral (still located between Prince and Mott Streets). This "St. Patrick's Old Cathedral" was destroyed by fire in 1866 and completely rebuilt in 1868. It is still a parish church and also the oldest Catholic building in New York City.

The foundation stone of the (new) cathedral was laid on August 15, 1858. During the American Civil War, work was halted until 1865. In 1878, the building was completed and consecrated by Archbishop John McCloskey on May 25, 1879. A school was opened in 1882 and the bishop's house and rectory were added between 1882 - 1884. Both towers, at the front of the building, were completed in 1888 and for a short time were the tallest structures in town. The expansion on the east side and the Lady Chapel (architect: Charles T. Mathews) began in 1901. The cathedral was completely renovated between 1927 and 1931, which is also when the second organ was added and the cemetery was expanded.