New York City is full of amazing buildings, and the first architectural wonders that come to mind are towering skyscrapers.
The city is also home to some of the most stunning bridges in the world, structures that allow the city to grow to the immense metropolitan area it is today.
The combination of tall skyscrapers and religious buildings is a fascinating one, and therefore, we have created a list of some of the most famous churches in New York City.
1. St. Patrick’s Cathedral
St. Patrick’s Cathedral is without a doubt the most famous and popular of all churches in New York City. It’s located in Midtown Manhattan, just east of Rockefeller Center and not too far east of Times Square as well.
The construction of this amazing Gothic Revival building started in 1858 and wasn’t completed until two decades later in 1878. It’s the largest church in this architectural style in North America with a length of 120.9 meters (396.7 feet).
Official website: St. Patrick’s Cathedral
2. Grace Church
Grace Church is another fabulous Gothic Revival masterpiece in Manhattan and was designed by the same architect as St. Patrick’s Cathedral, James Renwick Jr. (1818-1895). The church is located on Broadway on the corner of East 10th Street.
What’s remarkable about this building is that it was the first major commission of this American architect who was just 25 years old. The church was constructed between 1843 and 1846. The building has been described as “one of the city’s greatest treasures” and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977.
Official website: Grace Church NYC
3. St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral
The Basilica of Saint Patrick’s Old Cathedral is often simply referred to as Old St. Patrick’s. This church was originally the seat of the Archdiocese of New York until the much larger current version of St. Patrick’s Cathedral was constructed.
It’s located in the Nolita neighborhood of Lower Manhattan which is an abbreviation of “North of Little Italy.” This historic church in New York City was constructed between 1809 and 1815 and is a humble version of the Gothic Revival style.
Official website: St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral
4. St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church
St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church is located at 22 Barclay Street and Church Street in the Finance District of Manhattan. This remarkable Neoclassical building initially doesn’t appear to look like a church because it was designed in the Greek Revival style and therefore resembles an ancient Greek temple.
This building is the second that was constructed in this location, replacing an older version that was built between 1785 and 1786. The current structure was completed between 1836 and 1840 and has been one of the most famous churches in New York City ever since.
Official website: St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church
5. Cathedral of St. John the Divine
The Cathedral of St. John the Divine is nicknamed “St. John the Unfinished,” something that explains the fact that this church in New York City was never completed. The building is located at 1047 Amsterdam Avenue in the Morningside Heights of Manhatten and only two-thirds of the structure was completed.
One of the main reasons why the church wasn’t completed is because of design changes. Construction started in 1892 in the Byzantine Revival and Romanesque Revival styles, but this was changed to a neo-Gothic design in 1909. Despite the unfinished state of the building, it’s still the 6th largest church in the world by area as it has a length of 183 meters (601 feet) and a floor area of 11,200 square meters (121,000 square feet).
Official website: Cathedral of St. John the Divine
6. Trinity Church
Trinity Church is located on the intersection of Broadway and Wall Street in the heart of the Financial District of New York City. The current building is the third church that was constructed in this location and was completed between 1839 and 1846.
What’s remarkable about this famous church in New York City is that it was the tallest building in the city between 1846 and 1869 with a height of 86 meters (281 feet). Today, it’s surrounded by huge skyscrapers which emphasize how the landscape of the city has changed in nearly 2 centuries.
Official website: Trinity Church Wall Street
7. St. Bartholomew’s Church
St. Bartholomew’s Church is commonly referred to as St. Barts and was originally founded in 1835. It’s located on Park Avenue in Midtown Manhatten between 50th and 51st Street. It’s another building that replaced a previous version of a church that was in another location.
The current church is another masterpiece by James Renwick Jr. who designed this building in the Lombardic architectural style. Several additions were made in the early 20th century, including Romanesque Revival and Byzantine Revival elements, which turned this church into a remarkable ecclesiastical architectural highlight.
Official website: St. Bartholomew’s Church
8. St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery
St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery is located çin the East Village neighborhood of Manhatten at 131 East 10th Street. This is at the intersection of Stuyvesant Street and Second Avenue, a remarkable location as it’s the oldest continuously religious spot in the city.
The first religious structure in this location dates back to Dutch colonial times when Petrus Stuyvesant, the last Dutch director-general, constructed a family chapel here in 1660. The current version of the church was constructed in the late 18th century but has been restored and renovated several times throughout its history.
Official website: St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery
9. St. Paul’s Chapel
St. Paul’s Chapel is a chapel building managed by Trinity Church and is located between Fulton Street and Vesey Street at 209 Broadway in Lower Manhatten. The chapel was constructed in 1766 which makes it the oldest surviving religious building in Manhatten.
It’s considered to be one of the most remarkable examples of Late Georgian church architecture in the United States and was therefore designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960. The chapel is located just near One World Trade Center and survived the 9/11 attacks in 2001. It has since been nicknamed “The Little Chapel That Stood.”
Official website: St. Paul’s Chapel
