St. Patrick’s Cathedral has been part of Irish history since the early 1800’s
The Irish have been part of American history since pre-colonial times…but we did not see a drastic surge of emigration to the states from Ireland until the start of the 1700’s. With religious conflicts pushing many Irish away from their homeland and with the thought of the American Dream in the United States, Irish emigration to the US was on the rise starting around the 1720’s. It is estimated that by 1790 there were at least half a million Irish-Americans in the United States.
By the turn of the 19th Century the Irish population continued to grow. With this growth came the need for more places of worship as St. Peter’s Church (now Our Lady of the Rosary and the 1st Roman Catholic parish in New York) located in the Financial District became too small for the growing number of churchgoers. At the time of the dedication of St. Patrick’s Cathedral (now Basilica) in 1815, it is estimated that there were more than 15,000 catholic members of the Diocese of New York. By the 1840’s, there were over 200,000 catholics in the diocese.
To make room for the growing number of parishioners and to eventually replace the Old Cathedral, plans were in development to build a bigger church. These plans were finalized in 1858 and construction began with the help of 103 wealthy New Yorkers who donated $1,000 (upwards of $38,000 today) each toward funding the church. In 1860 funds ran low and then with the start of the Civil War in 1861 there was a 6 year hiatus on construction. Beginning again in the mid-1866, construction resumed and by late November 1877 the cathedral was unfinished but open to the public. Fundraising efforts began around that time to put the finishing touches on the cathedral until it was officially opened for worship on May 25, 1879.
St. Patrick is known to have spread Christianity throughout Ireland…which may be why they named the church that was designed to accommodate the growing immigrant population seeking religious refuge in his honor. St. Patrick is now known for St. Patrick’s Day, a day dedicated to celebrating Irish pride. At the heart of this annual celebration since the early 1800’s is St. Patrick’s Cathedral where marchers have passed during the parade for well over 200 years. In the beginning they would route the parade past The Old Cathedral on Mulberry Street and then starting in the late 1800’s it now passes by the present day Cathedral on 5th Avenue.
The Old Cathedral (The Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral) is located in Lower Manhattan on Mulberry Street just about a half mile from the famed Tenement Museum which started to house immigrants starting in the last quarter of the 19th Century.
The “new” St. Patrick’s Cathedral is located in Midtown Manhattan. The “new” cathedral covers all 4 corners of the block that are made up of Fifth Avenue, Madison Avenue, 50th Street, and 51st Street.
Sources/Credit:
nymatinee