The most beautiful religious buildings New York

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.

It was the oldest church in New York and the only one to survive the American Revolution, and then the fall of the two towers of the World Trade Center destroyed the surrounding buildings and one of the sycamores that was on the plot. The root of the destroyed tree, considered the miracle tree, has since been carved in bronze. The chapel has since become a kind of lighthouse that watches night and day in memory of the events. Saint Paul's Chapel houses photos of victims, firefighters' uniforms and messages left by relatives. When the twin towers collapsed after the attacks of 11 September 2001, the chapel became a resting place for first aid teams. During the following months, volunteers went there every day, giving their time to prepare food and beds for the workers who were clearing the site.

Georgian in architecture, built according to the London model of the church of St. Martin in the Fields, it was built in 1766 and is almost part of New York prehistory. It is a classic chapel of colonial architecture with a very sober interior. When New York was the capital of the United States, George Washington came to pray there. You can still see his personal bench, preserved with fervour. The small adjoining cemetery has become a place of relaxation where people come to picnic among the graves of prominent New York citizens in the shade of the trees.

It is the seat of the Holy Trinity Choir and the Bach Orchestra, and the only American church where Bach cantatas are interpreted according to the liturgical calendar.

For its organ concerts.

For his gospel choir.