Tired of taking the ferry across the East River to Manhattan for Mass, the growing Catholic community in Vinegar Hill in the early 19th Century decided to organize their own church in Brooklyn. On April 25, 1822, the second Bishop of New York, John Connolly, blessed the ground at Jay and Chapel streets, and the Basilica of St. James was born. As the oldest Catholic Church on Long Island, the Neo-Georgian structure is also the seat of the Diocese of Brooklyn. Of particular architectural interest is the cathedral’s steeple, which is clad in verdigriscopper. There’s also a beautiful brick building built in 1905 (photo on the jump) in the rear at 250 Cathedral Place that we’re guessing might be where the Bishop gets to hang his collar. The church was also the kick-off point for last Friday’s Way of the Cross march across the Brooklyn Bridge.
A Short History of the Cathedral [Brooklyn Cathedral] GMAP