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Gloria Dei Church National Historic Site Inside Gloria Dei Church
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Gloria Dei (Old Swedes' Church)

Before William Penn, the Swedes were here, building log homes and a brick church, GLORIA DEI. Imagine the transformation - town becomes city - 13 colonies become a nation – Swedish Lutheran church becomes Episcopalian. Re-discover Patriots and ordinary citizens buried in the cemetery. Enter Pennsylvania’s oldest church and feel 300 years of history welcoming you.

 

Gloria Dei Designation

Gloria Dei Church was designated as a National Historical Site in 1942, six years before Independence Hall. The Gloria Dei congregation owns and maintains the church and the related buildings, its ministry and the grounds. The National Park Service has provided the church with additional land to create an appropriate setting against the encroaching urban environment.

 

Video History

Watch a video of the history of Gloria Dei/Old Swedes Church
 
 

Write to

143 S. Third Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106

E-mail Us

Phone

Visitor information
(215) 389-1513

Fax

(215) 861-4950

Climate

Four distinct seasons with moderately cold winter and hot, humid summer. January average temperature, 33 degrees Fahrenheit; July average temperature, 75 degrees; average yearly rainfall, 41 inches; normal seasonal snowfall, 21 inches.

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Dress rehearsal for the 1905 pageant,

Did You Know?
In 1905, 85 members of the "Cornish Art Colony" staged an outdoor pageant at Augustus Saint-Gaudens' home in honor of his 20th year in Cornish, N.H. This play, "A Masque of 'Ours', the Gods and the Golden Bowl", sparked a nationwide interest in pageantry.

Last Updated: July 05, 2011 at 11:19 MST

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