Every guidebook on New York that you can buy – or at least the 7 that I have – mention them but I expect that they are not on the top of mind for most tourist’s. If you like history, architecture or music, or if in your walkabouts you are enticed by an open door, you might go in. But passing up on visiting and experiencing New York’s churches would be unfortunate, no matter what your religious views might be. These buildings have been a major influence in the making of the history and character of New York. And besides, many of them are absolutely stunning edifices.

New York City is probably the most linguistically and religiously diverse city on the planet. You can hear almost any language you can imagine on the street corner. The 8.6 million inhabitants communicate in some 800 different languages across the five boroughs. New York is also a religious city: 83% of New Yorker’s claim affiliation with some organized religion, one of the highest proportions in the United States. About 70% of these declared New Yorker’s are Christian and they are served approximately 2,000 churches and 4,000 informal places of worship. There are more than 1,000 Jewish synagogues. Any what was a big surprise to me, almost one million New Yorker’s are Muslins who worship in more than 100 mosques located around the City – including one within blocks of the World Trade Centre. Remember the controversy about that one?

Not every church building is remarkable. Many are not traditional places of worship at all, located in storefronts, schools and warehouse space. Along East Broadway in the Lower East Side are many micro-synagogues serving the various sects of the predominantly Jewish population. In Harlem, the area north and northeast of Central Park, it is reported that there are over 500 “churches”.

But there are many remarkable church buildings and we have taken the opportunity to go into several and to say they are magnificent would be a huge understatement – at least compared to the building in the Vancouver area. These include the St. Patrick’s Cathedral and St. Thomas Church in midtown on 5th Avenue, the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in the Morningside District at Amsterdam and 110th and Riverside Church at Riverside Drive and 121st.

St. Patrick’s is the largest Catholic cathedral in the United States and sits on a site originally intended for a cemetery. Hard to imagine that now as it sits in the middle of the major shopping district – at 5th Avenue and 51st – in the City. The gothic revival building – currently undergoing an exterior renovation – was conceived in 1850 when the site was well beyond the developed area of city. It opened in 1878 and seats 2,500 people. Adorned with intricately carved 20,000 pound bronze doors at the 5th Ave entrance, intricate carving throughout, a soaring vaulted ceiling, stunning stained glass windows and an organ with 7,000 pipes – that’s a lot – this is a magnificent place.

St. Thomas is a slightly more modest building just two blocks further up 5th Ave. This Episcopalian church was built in 1905, although this was the fourth home for the congregation and the second on this site. This church is known for its many high society weddings including the lavish nuptials of Consuelo Vanderbilt and the Duke of Marlborough. Although not as grandiose as St. Patrick’s, the nave of this church is stunningly beautiful with intricately carved screens and choir stalls. We have been in this church 3 times; twice just to visit and for the choral eucharist on the second Sunday of Advent. During the first visit the huge pipe organ was being tuned and when the big notes were played it made the hair on your arms stand up. Andrew and I visited St. Thomas one afternoon and heard choir practice. Penny and I were blown away by the spectacular choral eucharist, capped with an incredible recital on the organ. You have to live it to understand the way these incredible buildings carry the sounds of voice and organ.

Riverside Church is a more recent addition to the scene. It was built in 1927 – 1930 and was funded entirely by John D. Rockefeller, who left an endowment that maintains the building to today. The design is based on the cathedral at Chartres, France, however, unlike other cathedrals supported by massive vaulted ceilings, Riverside is built on a steel frame and limestone and marble cladding. It is a huge edifice with a gothic exterior and a spire that soars 21 storeys above the street – the highest spire in the US. The spire houses the Laura Spellmand Rockefeller Memorial Carillon (JD’s mother) which is the largest in the world with 74 bells. We heard it play Sunday morning. The hour bell is the largest tuned carillon bell ever cast and when it chimes it gives off the a very deep chime that reverberates for blocks around.

The interior of the building evokes the same feeling as traditional vaulted ceiling churches but the steel frame allows less imposing arches giving the building a lighter look. The nave seats 2100 people. However, to my mind the most impressive part of this church is the pipe organ with its 21,000 pipes. We attended a service there on Sunday just to hear the organ and we were not disappointed. Hard to describe the way the music fills the sanctuary; when the offering was being presented, the organ belted out “Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise God all creatures here below . . . “ as I have never heard it. It was an incredible experience.

These churches are spectacular but they pale in comparison to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in the Morningside District near Columbia University on the upper, upper West Side. I have been in this building twice and plan on visiting again. St John’s is the home church of the Episcopal Bishop of New York and the church itself sits in a huge compound that includes beautiful gardens, statuary and office and residential space.

Construction of the cathedral itself began in 1892 and the first services were held seven years later. The building is just two-thirds complete with additional construction taking place as money is available. At that, the nave of the church is 600 feet long, 146 feet wide and the arches soar 100 feet above the floor. When the north and south transepts and transept dome are completed, St. John’s will be the largest cathedral in the world.

Medieval construction techniques have been used throughout the construction: the stone-on-stone buttresses that support the transept dome are massive. It is hard to describe the presence of this building which, despite being incomplete, is fully functional. If the money were available today to finish the north and south transepts, the crossing tower and the west towers, it is estimated it would take 50 years to complete construction. High above the nave and choir areas are incredible stained glass windows and at the west end one of the largest rose windows in the United States.

Except during services, there is no artificial light in the cathedral so it is the sun shining through these magnificent windows that provides the light. During my last visit here, the nave was very dark as the sun was behind clouds. As they parted, sunlight filled the huge space with the glow of coloured light. It was like an awaking. Eighteen foot high bronze doors guard the main west entrance, depicting scenes from the bible.

Around the outside of the choir area, behind massive 55 foot high columns are a series of smaller chapels, each with intricate carving, metal work and stained glass windows. Some of these chapels are able to accommodate more than 100. This may be the most impressive building I have ever been in: all I could do was stand in awe of its size, volume and significance. You have to hope that one day, likely long after our passing, this building will be completed.

Downtown in the financial district are Trinity Church and St Paul’s Chapel at Trinity Church, two other historical churches. Andrew and I visited Trinity Church and the adjacent cemetery. The current church was built in 1846 and is the third church on this site. When completed, the steeple on this gothic revival building was the tallest structure in New York. Many prominent early New Yorker’s are buried in the adjacent cemetery, including Alexander Hamilton, a founding father, lawyer and first Secretary of State; Robert Fulton, inventor of the steamboat; and, William Bradford who founded the first newspaper in the City in 1725.

Two blocks north is St Paul’s Chapel, the only extant church built before the American Revolution that is still in use. This building completed in 1766 on what was then an open rocky field, is located directly across Church Street from the World Trade Centre but was miraculously spared when the buildings collapsed. The interior of this church is not traditional as the walls are very colourful and is lit by Waterford crystal chandeliers. George Washington prayed here immediately after his inauguration as US President just down Wall Street at Federal Hall. Today the chapel is associated with Trinity Church and has become a monument to the first responders who lost their lives in 2001 as well as the home of Episcopal services.

There are so many other notable churches in the City that should be mentioned. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale (author of “The Power of Positive Thinking”) was the pastor at the Marble Collegiate Church at 5th Ave and 28th. The Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem was the home of Adam Clayton Powell, a congressman and civil rights leader and was the most powerful black church in America during the civil rights movement.

If you ever come to New York don’t pass up the churches. And if you want to see a real masterpiece, visit to The Cathedral of St. John the Divine.