The World's Largest Anglican Cathedral Is Hidden In New York City And Full Of Fascinating Time-Warped Art

Light filters through intricate stained glass, casting rainbows across towering stone columns, as you walk through the grand cathedral nave. The air is thick with history and reverence. But here, among the images of saints and angels, you might spot something surprising — like a stained glass television or an abstract triptych. It's an odd juxtaposition, one that might make you pause and remember where you are: New York City, a place where the unexpected hides in plain sight. 

The Big Apple is full of surprises — take the rocket ships at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, full of greenery and trails, for example — but few are as astonishing as the vast and ever-evolving Cathedral of St. John the Divine. This place of exaltation is commonly considered the world's largest Anglican cathedral by floor area. Spanning 120,000-square-feet and surrounded by 13 acres of gardens, statues, and pathways, St. John the Divine is both enormous and unfinished. Its construction began in 1892, but like Europe's medieval cathedrals (the Notre Dame in Paris took two centuries to build), it remains a work in progress. 

Still, most of it is finished and what stands is breathtaking. The soaring nave, relic-filled chapels, and massive stained glass windows make it a place worth visiting, especially if you're looking for a unique way to spend a rainy day in New York City. Step inside, and you'll find yourself immersed in nearly 150 years of architecture, history, and an unexpected fusion of the sacred and the modern.

St. John the Divine's origins lie in a turn-of-the-century architectural competition, which yielded a Romanesque, Byzantine, and Gothic-inspired design by George Heins and Christopher Grant LaFarge. Sponsored by New York's Gilded Age elite, the cathedral was always meant to be larger-than-life — over 600-feet in length, about the length of two city blocks in Manhattan. But this isn't just a cathedral of old-world craftsmanship; it has been a gathering place for momentous occasions. Thousands flocked here to celebrate the end of World War II, it's where jazz legend Duke Ellington premiered his Second Sacred Concert, and when Jim Henson passed, the Muppets attended his memorial service here.

Along the choir parapet, you'll see intricately carved statues reminiscent of medieval stonework — but look closer. Among religious figures are also modern icons like Martin Luther King Jr., Albert Einstein, and Susan B. Anthony. In the Chapel of St. Columba, a gleaming gold triptych by Keith Haring stands as one of his final works before his death. Another intense piece, a sculpture by Meredith Bergmann, serves as a 9/11 memorial in the Alcove of St. James, its base made from World Trade Center rubble.

The cathedral's stained glass, however, is what truly warps time. Light pours in from massive vertical panels, each dedicated to a different facet of human achievement, such as medicine, labor, and the arts. But unlike traditional biblical imagery, these windows immortalize unexpected moments: Look for the sinking of the Titanic, a man scaling a telephone pole, and a television set. These details make the space feel like more than a relic of the past, elevating it, as Rt. Rev. Clifton Daniel III described in The New York Times, to "a cathedral for the 21st century."

The cathedral hosts ever-changing art installations and exhibits. A permanent collection of interfaith artwork features pieces like a seated Buddha statue, an African sculpture, and a Chinese scholar's stone. Scattered throughout the cathedral, you'll find treasures such as a 15th-century German choir stall, 12-foot menorahs, and a firemen's memorial forged from the remains of past fire sites.

The surrounding campus, known as the Close, includes the Pulpit Lawn and a rose garden. Literary lovers might appreciate that the cathedral's library, located in the Close, is named after Madeleine L'Engle, author of "A Wrinkle in Time," who once served as the cathedral's librarian. At the heart of the lawn, a towering 40-foot fountain features the Archangel Michael triumphantly embracing a giraffe.

The cathedral is located on Amsterdam Avenue in Morningside Heights, only a 12-minute walk from the northwest corner of Central Park. If you're planning a visit from Midtown, take the 1 train to 110th Street or the B/C train to Cathedral Parkway, around 30 minutes from Times Square. Read up on transportation tips to blend in like a New York local beforehand. The cathedral is open daily until 5 p.m., with general admission priced at $15 per adult.