Wilkinson explained the earliest known use of catacombs was by the ancient Romans, for martyrs and people who couldn’t afford ornate burials. Patrick’s Cathedral on 5th Avenue after he became a candidate for sainthood. However, he was reinterred in the late 20th century at the newer St. Pierre Toussaint (1766-1853), a former Haitian slave, who became a wealthy hairdresser and philanthropist, supported an orphanage, and contributed money to the old cathedral building, was buried there. Many more prominent figures rest in two outside cemeteries. “That for me has always been synonymous with America itself, America at its best.” And it was built by people who flocked here from all over the world to start a new life in this city,” he continued. “This place is breathing stories and lives long forgotten. “This place was something that ultimately affected the way I view the world and the way I hear the world,” Scorsese said in a 2019 documentary “The Oratorio.” That film is about the recreation of an 1826 benefit opera in the old cathedral. The film’s acclaimed director, Martin Scorsese, was an altar boy here. “This is the church represented in ‘Gangs of New York,’” said Frank Alfieri, director of cemetery matters at the basilica. In its infancy, however, the cathedral stood nearby as native-born Protestants battled in the streets with Irish Catholic immigrants. The basilica is on Mulberry Street in the NoLita (North of Little Italy) neighborhood of lower Manhattan. “You’re going to learn about Catholicism, and how important this church was in shaping the New York City we all enjoy today.” “This is a tale of immigration, real New York immigration, told through the lens of the early Catholics,” Wilkinson said. Since 2017, New York residents and tourists have hired Wilkinson’s company, Tommy’s New York, to show them around the catacombs and two historic, walled cemeteries outside the building.

And that’s become my favorite part.” Tommy’s New York conducts tours of the historic catacombs of the Basilica of St. “The lights go out, the candles are handed out, and the doors are opening. “I think I’ve come up with a signature move of opening up the doors,” Wilkinson said with a chuckle. Wilkinson’s glowing eyes suggest there is a broad smile behind his protective facemask. Here lies (to name a few): “Honest” John Kelly (1822-1886) a member of Congress, City Sheriff, and Tammany Hall Leader Francis Delmonico and family, the city’s first fine-dining restaurateurs Countess Anna Leary (1832-1919), a prominent society figure and philanthropist who cared for Italian immigrant children. This underground area is the resting place for many legendary characters of New York City’s earliest history, including several Catholic visionaries, both lay and clerical. Patrick’s Old Cathedral in Lower Manhattan. MANHATTAN - Tommy Wilkinson pulled back the door leading to the catacombs beneath the Basilica of St.

Catacombs by candlelight