"Old" St. Patrick's Cathedral
The catacombs beneath old St. Patrick’s Cathedral, are a unique historical site, and among the few remaining catacombs in the U.S. A network of underground tombs and passageways, these catacombs hold a rich history that is closely connected with the early history of Catholics in New York City. They were used for burials and religious ceremonies, and some of the earliest Catholic settlers in New York found their final resting place here. While St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue gets the lion’s share of attention as the center of Roman Catholicism in New York City, the Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral in lower Manhattan was the focal point of the church in the city for decades. Located at the intersection of Mott and Prince Streets, Old St. Patrick’s was the first cathedral for the Diocese of New York when it was completed in 1815. The building was also the largest Catholic church in the United States at that time. Many Catholics began to gain promine...