4. Crypt Below the Church of the Intercession

Rows of chairs set in front of a stage in the underground catacombs of the Church of the Intercession.

Tucked away beneath an elegant and striking block in Hamilton Heights, accessed through the Trinity Church Cemetery, there’s a rarely-seen hallowed space carved from rough stone. The cavernous crypt has perfect acoustics and history thickly hangs from every rafter. Simply known as the Crypt, this space is a hidden gem of New York City owned by the Church of the Intercession.

The cemetery and the surrounding blocks served as the home base for John James Audubon, the naturalist, and artist known for his work in ornithology (the study of birds). When Audubon passed away, he was buried in the cemetery. In the 1920s, cemetery space in the city was scarce and in high demand. To create more room for burials, the crypt’s walls were prepared to hold cremated remains. This renovation made the church the first in the U.S. to have its own columbarium (a building with niches for storing funeral urns). Today, the acoustics of the space make it a cozy and intimate venue for live jazz concerts among the dead.