Apr 19, 2008 / 09:27 am
Today at Saint Patrick’s Church in New York City, Pope Benedict XVI became the third Bishop of Rome to visit the gothic-style Catholic Cathedral, which is also the largest in the United States.
Archbishop John Hughes constructed the cathedral in 1858. When the property of Saint Patrick’s was purchased, it was considered as a country property and was even used as a pasture. Opponents of the project called it, “Hughes Folly.” However, the property’s value later escalated to become one of the most valuable real estate plots in the United States. The American Civil War halted construction on the Cathedral until after the conflict.
Saint Patrick’s Cathedral seats about 2,200 people. Mass is regularly celebrated there in almost 30 languages on an almost continual basis. Saint Patrick’s is a significant architectural landmark in New York City, having been designed by the revered American architect James Renwick. The cathedral has many devotional chapels with various images of the Blessed Virgin and Saints their themes. The Lady Chapel is always of particular interest to visitors, another prominent American architect, Charles Matthews, designed it.
When one thinks of New York, the name Tiffany’s comes to mind. The famous jewelry store designed and constructed the altars of Saint Michael and Saint Louis.