Exploring the Cathedral of St John the Divine in New York City

The largest Gothic style cathedral in the world, and the head church of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine is located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The entire 11 acre campus includes the cathedral, cathedral school, several houses for religious life, a peace fountain, and several gardens. 

Construction on the first part of the cathedral began in 1892 and was completed in 1911. The construction included the Seven Chapels of Tongues, which surround the choir stalls and High Altar, all completed by 1918 and dedicated to saints and immigrants from various countries. The second phase of construction, and the addition of the Narthex, was started in the 1930s and stopped work in 1993. 

The cathedral (designated a cathedral because of the cathedra for the bishop) is over 600 feet long (the length of almost two football fields), over 120 feet tall, and 146 feet from side to side. It has a main organ with over 8,000 pipes.  The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine is the third largest cathedral of any style in the world, behind St. Peter’s in Italy and St. Mary of the Chorus in Spain.  There are 176 steps on a winding staircase leading to the top of the cathedral. 

Travel Tips:

Touring The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine:

1. The break in the flooring from the original part of the cathedral to the mid 20th century addition.  Note the change in flooring color from the brown concrete to the green flooring in the Narthex.
2. The Pulpit, designed by the architect of the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, made completely of Tennessee marble and depicting Statues of St John the Baptist, the prophet Isaiah, and the Nativity scene. 
3. The three tiered choir stalls on either side in front of the High Altar; look closely at the third tier for carvings of famous musicians of sacred music in the finials.  
4. The 20 statues, one for each century of Christianity carved into a barrier in front of the High Altar and the Bishop’s chair. Some figures include Christopher Columbus, William Shakespeare, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, and Mahatma Gandhi.
5. The Jerusalem menorah (with two less branches than the menorah used for Hanukkah), gifted in 1930 by the owners of the New York Times, on the High Altar. 
6. The Ambulatory, which has a hallway to the Seven Chapels of Tongues honoring seven major groups of immigrants to Ellis Island in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. 

7. The Chapel of Saint James, dedicated in 1916, honors Spanish and Latinx history, and has the tomb of Henry Codman Potter (the 7th bishop of New York), a 857 pipe organ, and the original piano of Duke Ellington on permanent display. 
8. The Chapel of Saint Ambrose, dedicated in 1914, honors the Italian community, and is used for private devotions.
9. The Chapel of Saint Martin, dedicated in 1918, honors the French community, is also used for private devotions and displays a statue of Joan of Arc.
10. The Chapel of Saint Savior, dedicated in 1904, is located directly behind the High Altar and has 20 angles carved into plaster casts. The Chapel of Saint Savior is the only chapel that was part of the original cathedral.
11. The Chapel of Saint Columbia, dedicated in 1911, honors the immigrants from Great Britain, and has statues of 10 famous British theologians on either side of the entrance.
12. The Chapel of Saint Boniface, dedicated in 1916, honors the patron saint of Germany, and displays a 11 foot bronze statue of Saint Michael the Archangel. 
13. The Chapel of Saint Ansgar, dedicated in 1919, honors Scandinavian immigrants and has a Columbarium, where ashes of the deceased are interred. The public is allowed to purchase a vault and hold memorial services. 

14. The fourteen bays on either side of the cathedral. Several bays have displays honoring lay workers such as Armed Forces, doctors, firefighters, sports figures, figures of the law, crusaders, and poets (which also has stones engraved with the name and dates of dozens of famous poets). Scenes honoring the various groups of people or topics are also depicted in the stained glass windows in each bay. 
15. The September 11th memorial sculpture, poem, and piece of one on the Twin Towers. 
16. The rotating art exhibition; throughout the spring and summer of 2026, Peace Post, a collection of 198 portraits of peace, one representative for each country in the world, is on display. 

Looking for other adventures on the Upper West Side? Check out our features of the American Museum of National History, the New-York Historical Society, and Lincoln Center, as well as our full Manhattan City Guide. And follow along on our adventures on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.

Disclosure: Our family was given a media pass to tour the Cathedral; all opinions expressed are my own.