New York City is home to some of the world’s most recognizable landmarks, from the Statue of Liberty to the Empire State Building. But tucked into Little Italy is a much older and far more hidden piece of the city: the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral, New York’s oldest Catholic cathedral. And beneath its historic walls lies a network of burial vaults that you can explore on the Catacombs by Candlelight tour.
Explore NYC’s underground catacombs
The 1-hour-and-20-minute guided experience takes you behind the scenes of the Basilica, including areas that are normally off-limits to the public. You’ll meet your licensed guide in Lower Manhattan before heading inside the church and descending into its historic underground spaces.
The tour explores New York City’s only active Catholic catacombs, where bishops, prominent Catholic families, and other notable New Yorkers were laid to rest. The route also includes the Basilica’s two historic walled cemeteries and other hidden areas of the church grounds.
25 October 2026 10:00 + more dates
The Basilica of St Patrick's Old Cathedral
The burial chamber stretches about 85 feet and contains 35 family crypts and five vaults for clergy, with burials dating back to the 1820s. Today, the Gothic Revival landmark remains an active church, while its underground catacombs preserve more than two centuries of history beneath our streets.
One particularly unusual detail is found in the Thomas Eckert family vault, where original Edison-era light fixtures remain. Eckert was a Civil War-era general and a close associate of Thomas Edison, adding another layer of New York history to the underground tour.
Inside New York’s oldest Catholic cathedral
The Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral was founded in 1809 and completed in 1815, becoming the first cathedral of the Diocese of New York. It was designed by Joseph-François Mangin, the architect of New York City Hall, and was reportedly the largest Catholic church in the United States at the time.
The candlelit tour offers a rare chance to see the cathedral’s hidden side up close, taking visitors beneath the historic church and into its centuries-old burial spaces.