As part of the 200th
Anniversary Celebration of St. Patrick's Cathedral
in New York City an exhibit of Michelangelo's Pietá
is on display at the cathedral located in Little Italy
every day from 8:30 am to 6:00 pm.
This original cast of Michelangelo's monumental Pietà
was authorized by Vatican officials in 1932.
It was cast by the Marinelli Foundry from the official
mold of Michelangelo's pristine original marble masterpiece,
currently displayed in St. Peter's Basilica in the
Vatican. This stunning cast in bronze
with brown patina measures 65" x 76", the
exact size of the original marble sculpture.
It is marked Fuse Fernando Marinelli Firenze.
St. Patrick's Old Cathedral
proudly displays this inspirational work of art for
the cultural and spiritual enrichment of our parish
community and our welcomed visitors.
About
St. Patrick's Old Cathedral
The
corner stone of Old St. Patrick's - the city's first
Cathedral Church - was laid on June 8,1809. It was
dedicated on May 14,1815, and on that day the New
York Gazette described the cathedral as "a grand
and beautiful church, which may justly be considered
one of the greatest ornaments of our city"
Designed by architect Joseph Francois Mangin, St.
Patrick's has great dignity and character in its restrained
simplicity. Her sidewalls rise to a height of 75 feet,
and the inner vault is 85 feet high. The church is
over 120 feet long and 80 feet wide. Near the west
wall stands the huge marble altar surrounded by an
ornately carved, gold leaf reredos.
At the opposite end of the church in the choir loft
is a historic organ, an Erben 3-41, in its original
condition. The organ was built by Henry Erben in 1852,
and is one of less than a dozen such great instruments
surviving in New York City. The organ is still used
in liturgies today.
Beneath the church lies a labyrinth of well-kept mortuary
vaults and outside, is a cemetery containing many
old graves and tombstones. Most famous of all was
the original resting place of Pierre Toussaint, a
Black New Yorker, born a slave in Haiti, whose cause
for canonization (sainthood) is being considered in
Rome. Also of note are the burial sites of New York's
first Bishops and many other prominent people.
Most of all, St. Patrick's Old Cathedral is a church
of the people, who generation after generation, helped
build America. The Old Cathedral ceased to be the
seat of the Archdiocese of New York and became a parish
church on May 25,1879. The change in status was the
result of the completion of the present Cathedral
of St. Patrick located at 50th Street and Fifth Avenue.
St. Patrick's Old Cathedral is located in "The
Heart of Old New York" in the rapidly changing
neighborhoods of Little Italy, Chinatown, and SOHO.
Today's parish is very strong and regularly celebrates
liturgies in English, Spanish as well as Chinese at
Most Holy Crucifix. St. Patrick's Old Cathedral has
served this community for almost 200 years and looks
forward to serving it for as many to come.
In 1966, St. Patrick's Old Cathedral was one of the
first sites to be named a New York City landmark by
the New York City Landmarks Commission. St. Patrick's,
St. Patrick's Old Cathedral School and St. Michael's
are also listed on the National Registry of Historic
Landmarks.
Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral
233 Mott Street, New York, NY 10012
www.oldcathedral.org
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