Saint Patrick’s Cathedral
St. Patrick’s Cathedral is the Mother Church of the Archdiocese of New York and the seat of its Archbishop. Built by contributions large and small, it remains emblematic of the ascendance of religious freedom in the New World. As such, this international landmark is a beacon of hope for those who share the Catholic faith and a source of inspiration to the more than five million visitors of every religious denomination welcomed here each year.
The cornerstone of St. Patrick’s Cathedral 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” 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.”
