The latest issue of our Top 5 New York City Churches was devoted to the Riverside Church. Today you’ll discover the #2 of our top: the St Paul’s Chapel. One of the most indelible images of downtown Manhattan in the days following the attacks of September 11th was that of the dust covered St. Paul’s Chapel standing defiantly in what was once the shadow of the World Trade Center. The quant chapel, located literally steps from the footprint of the towers survived the attack remarkably unscathed. Images of the New York chapel quickly gained recognition around the world as a symbol of fortitude and strength during the city’s greatest tragedy. The church’s role in 9/11 tells only a small fraction of the chapel’s history, one dating all the way back to 1766.
St. Paul’s Chapel is Manhattan’s oldest public building in continuous use and the island’s only remaining colonial-era church. On April 30th, 1789 George Washington worshipped at the chapel on the day of his presidential inauguration. Today a painting depicting the Great Seal of the United States sits above the pew supposedly used by Washington. The building was named a national historic landmark in 1960, and for good reason. A unit led by officer Alexander Hamilton drilled in the chapel’s yards during the American Revolutionary War, and the structure survived the Great New York City Fire of 1776 that burned much of the are around Wall Street.
Architecturally, the structure recalls many period churches in England, crafted in the Georgian style. The most notable aspect of the chapel is its survival as a modest place of worship amongst the giants of modern architecture surrounding it in Downtown Manhattan. For three hundred years the neighborhood has changed and transformed in myriad ways, yet the chapel remains an important and vital site for the residents, tourists and workers that fill its pews every day.
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– This 1-bedroom vacation rental accommodation in Tribeca (NY-12061) features exposed brick, exposed wood beams, a large skylight and a renovated kitchen.
Come back next week to learn more about the St. Patrick’s Cathedral, #1 of our Top 5 New York City Churches!
I never knew all of these different stories of this cathedral’s survival…it is quite sign for the strength and endurance of New York City.
I love the way this old church looks surrounded by all of the new beuatiful architecture.
When I go to New York this fall, this is one of the places I’d like to visit? Does anyone know any more facts about St. Paul’s Chapel or where I can get more information?