St. James' Church (New York City)
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St. James' Roman Catholic Church is located at 32 James Street between St. James Place and Madison Street in the Two Bridges neighborhood of Lower Manhattan,
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. It is the second oldest Roman Catholic building in the city, built in 1835–1837 of fieldstone, with a pair of Doric columns flanking the entrance. While the neo-classical church is modeled on the published designs by Minard Lefever, and is sometimes attributed to him, there is no hard evidence of this being true., p.210-11 The building was once topped by a domed
cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome. The word derives, via Italian, fro ...
.


History

The parish was established by Bishop John Dubois in order to relieve the overcrowding at St. Peter's on Barclay Street. He purchased an Episcopal church building on Ann Street, retaining the name of Christ Church, and asked Father
Félix Varela Félix Varela y Morales (November 20, 1788 – February 18, 1853) was a Cuban Catholic priest and independence leader who is regarded as a notable figure in the Catholic Church in both his native Cuba and the United States, where he also served. ...
to organize a congregation. Fr. Varela also established a free school. In October 1833, it was discovered that nearby excavation had rendered Christ Church unsound. Pending the completion of a new building on James Street, premises were rented at 33 Ann Street. However, some members of the congregation finding this too far uptown, instead purchased the Reformed Presbyterian church on Chambers Street. This would become the parish of the Transfiguration, with Fr. Varela as the first pastor.Lafort, Remigius. ''The Catholic Church in the United States of America: Undertaken to Celebrate the Golden Jubilee of His Holiness, Pope Pius X'', Catholic editing Company, 1914, p. 336
/ref> The first Mass was said in the basement of the James St. church on September 18, 1836. The following January it was dedicated under the invocation of St. James the Apostle, by Bishop Dubois.
Andrew Byrne Andrew J. Byrne (1802 – June 10, 1862) was an Irish-born American Catholic priest, who became the first bishop of the Diocese of Little Rock in Arkansas from 1844 until his death in 1862. Biography Early life Andrew Byrne was born in 1802 ...
was appointed rector. Byrne was succeeded in 1842 by Rev. John Maginnis, who was in turn followed by Rev. John N. Smith. In 1848 Fr. Smith succumbed to " ship fever" contracted when administering last rites to Father Mark Murphy of Staten Island, who had contracted the illness while tending recently arrived immigrants. Alfred E. Smith served as an
altar boy An altar server is a lay assistant to a member of the clergy during a Christian liturgy. An altar server attends to supporting tasks at the altar such as fetching and carrying, ringing the altar bell, helps bring up the gifts, brings up the book ...
at this church when he was a student at its parochial school, the former St. James Elementary School, located across the street. The church was ordered to be closed by New York City officials in 1983, because of the danger of its roof collapsing. It was scheduled to be torn down in 1986, but was saved by the efforts of the community, especially the
Ancient Order of Hibernians The Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH; ) is an Irish Catholic fraternal organization. Members must be male, Catholic, and either born in Ireland or of Irish descent. Its largest membership is now in the United States, where it was founded in N ...
, the first branch of which was organized in the church in 1836. The building suffered significant damage in a fire on January 11, 2011.Cunningham, Jennifer H. and Paddock, Barry. "Firefighters Save Historic Manhattan Church," '' New York Daily News'' (January 11, 2011) In 2007, St. James Parish merged with the nearby Parish of St. Joseph. The combined Parish of St. Joseph/St. James was merged again with the Church of the Transfiguration in 2015.


Pastors


See also

*
List of New York City Landmarks These are lists of New York City landmarks designated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission: * New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan: ** List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan below 14th Street ** List ...
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in New York County, New York __NOTOC__ There are 576 properties and districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places in New York County, New York, which consists of Manhattan Island, the Marble Hill neighborhood on the mainland north of the Harlem River Ship Can ...


References

Notes


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint James' Church, New York City Roman Catholic churches in Manhattan Roman Catholic churches completed in 1837 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan Hibernian buildings New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan Irish-American culture in New York City Greek Revival architecture in New York City Greek Revival church buildings in New York City Lower Manhattan Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state)