St. Paul’s Chapel is the oldest church or public building which has been in continuous use in Manhattan; it is a National Historic Landmark and is one of the few buildings to have survived the Great New York Fire of 1776. The chapel also has a historic cemetery where several patriots who served under Washington during the revolution are buried. The chapel was constructed on land granted by Queen Anne of England and was designed by Thomas Mcbean and built by Andrew Gautier. The chapel was completed in 1766 and at the time was not centrally located but as time passed and the city built up around it.
The chapel is under the authority of Trinity Church but when Trinity burnt down during the Great Fire the chapel took on a leading role in the city. One of the chapel’s claims to fame is as the chapel where George Washington attended services. This is one of the few Revolution era churches which survived and there are a number of important artifacts from that era. You can see the pew where Washington sat and above it the first painting of the Great Seal of The United States.
The chapel design was modeled on London’s St. Martin-in-the Fields and has classic Georgian style. The chapel has a tall oblong tower. There is a wooden statue of St. Paul on the Broadway side of the façade. The church interior has a flat, high pale blue ceiling and beautiful cut-glass chandeliers. The alter decoration was designed by Pierre L’Enfant.
