St John the Baptist Church, Manhattan

St John the Baptist Church is a small Roman Catholic church in Manhattan, New York City. It was founded in 1840 for the Roman Catholics living in that area and is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. The church is located at 211 West 30th Street, between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, within the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan.

From the outside the St John the Baptist Church looks a bit drab, but if you step inside, you will be amazed at how beautiful it is. The entrance is through the Friary on 31st Street. The sanctuary of St John the Baptist Church was designed by Napoleon Le Brun in the Gothic style. The arches are finished with white marble and are surmounted by golden capitals. On the walls are scenes from the Bible. There are stained glass windows allowing diffused light into the sanctuary.

St John the Baptist Church, New York City
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20110204.064.NYC.Midtown.Chelsea.210W31stSt.StJohntheBaptistCh.Capuchin.d.1871-2.Nicholas_Le_Brun.Taken_by_James_Russiello_crop_interior.jpg
Author: James Russiello


To the side of the sanctuary is the Prayer Garden. This small, peaceful corner has religious statuary, a fountain and a few benches. It is perfect for taking a rest, to reflect and perhaps offer a silent prayer.

How to reach St John the Baptist Church

St John the Baptist Church has its rear to Madison Square Garden / Penn Station at W 31st Street. However I recommend walking to W 30st Street to view the church front.

Take the 1, 2 or 3 train to the 34th Street / Penn Station subway station. Emerging on 7th Avenue, walk south down 7th Avenue until intersection with W 30th Street. Turn right and walk west on W 30th Street until you arrive at the church which is on your right.

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Thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye. My hobby is to research information about places, and share the information with people on this website. I started this website on 5 January 2003, and since then, have written about over 20,000 places, mostly in Malaysia and Singapore.

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