NEW YORK CITY: THE BASILICA OF ST. PATRICK'S OLD CATHEDRAL

When I hear "St. Patrick's Cathedral," this is what I think of:

Photo from the New York Daily News

. . . the huge, neo-Gothic church in Midtown Manhattan.  I didn't know there was another St. Patrick's, distinguished from its more famous cousin by a few name changes: The BASILICA of St. Patrick's OLD Cathedral.

This much humbler church is located in the NoLIta ("North of Little Italy") area of NYC. The second Catholic church to be built in NYC (but apparently the first cathedral), it was named after Ireland's patron saint and was the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York City until its more famous cousin opened in 1879. 

 (Note: Is it "Old St. Patrick's Cathedral," or "St. Patrick's Old Cathedral"? They can't seem to decide.)

Here is the 4th Archbishop of NYC, John J. Hughes, "Immigrant" (from Ireland, of course) and "Shepherd":

Hughes served as Archbishop from 1842 to 1864. During that time, there was an explosion of Irish immigration. Half of the immigrants to the United States in the 1840s were from Ireland, and between 1820 and 1860, the Irish constituted over a third of all U.S. immigrants. Between 1820 and 1920, as many as 4.5 million Irish arrived in America. They were a force to be reckoned with--and not always very well liked. 

I love this plaque, oxidized to an Irish green over the years, that tells the story of how members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians (one most be born in Ireland or of Irish descent to belong) defended this church in 1844 "when it was threatened with destruction by the forces of bigotry and intolerance."

Not nearly as spectacular as its cousin, Old St. Patrick's is built in the Gothic Revival style:

 The original church was gutted by fire in 1866, but quickly rebuilt and reopened in 1868. Today, the foyer looks very modern:

I noted that they have the same hymnal cart in use in my LDS Church:

However, the roots of this congregation are 19th century Irish, something many memorials inside the cathedral point out. I like this particular reference to Apparition Chapel in the Irish village of Knock where fifteen people witnessed an appearance of Mary, Joseph, and the apostle John at the Church of St. John the Baptist. Old St. Patrick's was gifted a stone from the wall against which the apparition appeared:

Once inside the nave, the 19th century origins and Gothic architecture are obvious. The vaulted ceiling soars 85 feet above the pews:

If you've seen The Godfather, you may recognize this church as the setting for the baptism scene.  I have not seen the movie, but I watched a rather gruesome clip of the baptism here. The stained glass windows and light fixtures are easily identified.

The crucifix is suspended above the altar, with the red and white basilica umbrella on the left and the altar on the right:

The contrast of the crucifixion and the brilliant stained glass is striking:

I don't know if the clover shapes at the end of the cross's boards represent Ireland or the Trinity or both, but they are a unique touch:

Old St. Patrick's was designated a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI on March 17, 2010, and remains the only basilica in Manhattan. Here is a close up of the red and white baldachin, or umbrella, that is found in all basilicas:

I love the ornate altar. On closer examination, I see that Mary likes to read over the shoulder of the preacher, perhaps to make sure he is sharing true doctrine:

There are beautiful stained glass windows depicting the life of Christ:

 Is this Christ holding the Christ child? Very interesting:

Christ the Good Shepherd:

 Christ and the children:

 

Of course, there is a beautiful pipe organ, dating to 1852:

. . . and something else I have noticed that is common in Catholic cathedrals--a copy of Michelangelo's Pieta:

A plaque pays homage to Elizabeth Ann Seton, founder of the Sisters of Charity of New York:

On our way out, we paused outside the fenced cemetery to ponder the religious history of the U.S.

. . . and to appreciate the role that this outwardly humble cathedral with the soaring soul played in that history.