7 Most Beautiful and Awe-Inspiring Churches and Cathedrals in New York

When it comes to places of worship, they have provided people with a place to go when they require sanctuary or when they need someone to talk to. Every Sunday, or sometimes during another day of the week, hundreds of people may congregate for mass in the house of worship. Church-goers throughout the world have dwindled, but these churches and cathedrals still stand today.

Let’s take a look at the seven most beautiful and awe-inspiring churches and cathedrals in New York. Their beauty is completely unmatched and great to witness firsthand.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral

Perhaps the most famous church in New York City, St. Patrick’s Cathedral was built in 1858 and construction was finished in 1878. Built in a Neo-Gothic style of architecture, many stained glass windows adorn the cathedral throughout. The cathedral can be entered on Fifth Avenue and there are two towers with spires at both ends. The cathedral has been registered as a New York City landmark and it’s also on the National Register of Historic Places.

Trinity Church

Located on Broadway Street near Wall Street, the church was first constructed in 1698, but unfortunately, a fire destroyed the church in 1776. The second church was built thereafter, but it’s the current church built from 1839 to 1846 that still stands today. Trinity Church has a Neo-Gothic style of architecture and when it was built, it was the tallest building in the US until 1869 and the tallest in New York City until 1890.

Grace Church

With one spire, unlike St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Grace Church is located in Manhattan and was built in the French Gothic Revival style of architecture. The church grounds contained church houses and a school, which are currently used by the Grace Church School. Historically, Grace Church has been associated with “fashionable church-goers.”

Église St. Jean-Baptiste

Also known as St. Jean Baptiste Roman Catholic Church, Église St. Jean-Baptiste is located on Lexington Avenue in New York City. It serves the Lenox Hill neighborhood, which is in the Upper East Side. Constructed in 1882, it was built for the French-Canadian population that had set up roots in the area. That’s why the church is known by its French name. The church has a dome, which is the only Catholic church, other than St. Patrick’s Cathedral, to have one in New York City.

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

Located in New York’s capital, Albany, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is a Roman Catholic cathedral constructed between 1846 and 1852. Designed by Irish-American architect Patrick Keeley, it is the second-oldest cathedral in New York. It is also the third-oldest Catholic cathedral in the United States. The materials used were mainly brick and sandstone, giving the two-spired church a reddish-brown color that makes it look unique.

St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral

The only Russian Orthodox church on this list, the St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral is a majestic building. The church is located on the Upper East Side and it is built of brick with several domes. It has a Russian Baroque style of architecture, which was very common at the time in Russia. The cathedral opened in 1902 and has made a historical impact on the city and its community.

Cathedral of St. John the Divine

Located in Manhattan, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine may look a little odd to you when you first see it. That’s because it has not been completed, but it has slowly been under construction since 1892. The original design was to be in two styles of architecture — Byzantine and Romanesque. But nearly 20 years later it changed to Gothic Revival. The cathedral has been in use for nearly 100 years and has worked intermittently since then.