SAINT PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL

St. Patrick's Cathedral, the seat of the Archdiocese of New York, appears to date from the Middle Ages, but was built between 1858 and 1879. The first St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York (which was its original archdiocese) was located in the Nolita neighborhood of lower Manhattan, at the intersection of Mulberry Street and Mott Street, but it was completely destroyed by fire in 1866. It was rebuilt alongside it, becoming the oldest Catholic church in New York, and is now called St. Patrick's Old Cathedral.

Although St. Patrick's Old Cathedral on Fifth Avenue may look small among all the skyscrapers that surround it, it is nonetheless the largest Catholic and Gothic church in the United States. Its interior is magnificent. The cathedral is lit with candles that are reflected in the 71 stained glass windows and the large rose window. Observe the details of the carved columns. The great organs have no less than nine thousand pipes, which means that the concerts are grandiose in this perfect acoustic. If you are there during the great Irish festival of St. Patrick's Day, you should definitely visit. It is one of the most visited buildings in New York (3 million visitors per year) and, even if it is very busy, the cathedral gives an incredible feeling of quietness in the heart of the hive of activity that is the Rockefeller Center area. It stands out considerably from the luxury shops and glass buildings that surround it, and seeing it as you walk up Fifth Avenue is like a real apparition! F. Scott Fitzgerald, the famous author of Gatsby the Magnificent, married his girlfriend, Zelda, there in 1920. Unfortunately, if you too dream of getting a finger ring there, you must reside in the Archdiocese of New York to get married. However, you can attend mass with the believers who attend it (necessarily well-to-do, since they live in the neighborhood!). Masses are held every day of the week. On Sundays, there are no less than eight sermons between 7am and 5:30pm (the choir is there for the 10:15am mass). The 4pm mass is entirely in Spanish! Only the Christmas mass, which is quite incredible, is difficult to access since priority is naturally given to members of the parish.