Watch & Listen

Learn about the history of the Cathedral's stained glass windows and the future of their repair and preservation. Featuring: Ruth Whaley – Manager, Community and Educational Initiatives Jim Patterson – Director, Facilities and Capital Projects Jean Phifer – Director, Thomas Phifer and Partners

The Cathedral's Portal of Paradise on the Western Facade is one of the most seen and most misunderstood features of this great building. In this four part series, senior guide Tom Fedorek takes a closer look at the Portal to get beyond the misconceptions.

We continue our four part virtual tour of the Cathedral's Portal of Paradise on the Western Facade with a closer look at the eight figures carved into the north side of the Portal and are reminded that everything we see here comes directly from the Bible.

In the third part of our virtual tour on our facade's Portal of Paradise, we take a look at the figures and basestones on the southern side of the portal, including the apocalyptic New York City scenes that are some of the most talked about and misunderstood carvings in the whole Cathedral, and are continually reminded of how each and every feature comes from the Bible.

In the final episode of our virtual tour on the Portal of Paradise, we look at the figures in the upper rank, which are painted in the style of portal sculptures from the middle ages. Simon Verity, the lead stone carver on the project, mixed the paints himself using the mineral crystals that are mentioned in the Book of Revelation.

Have you heard the urban legend that there used to be a subway station under the Cathedral? Senior guide Tom Fedorek looks into how these rumors originated and the very real connection between the Cathedral and the MTA New York City Transit, with special shout outs to Madeleine L'Engle, Grand Central Terminal, and the Bronx Zoo.

Wondering what to do with all those cardboard boxes and empty toilet paper rolls laying around? This architecture workshop for children helps you reduce, reuse, and...build your very own Cathedral using the same principals that built our great structure. It's a fun activity year-round, but especially appropriate for this #EarthDay! Please comment your ideas and post photos of your own recyclable masterpieces!

Stained glass is a playground for the sun, and if you've ever visited the Cathedral on a winter afternoon, you know that the combination of sun and glass means apparent rainbows about. The Cathedral's Ruth Whaley explains how light plays an important role in the experience and structure of our building.