Gloria Dei Church, known locally as Old Swedes, is a historic church located in the

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

neighborhood of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, at 929 South Water Street, bounded by Christian Street on the north, South Christopher Columbus Boulevard (formerly Delaware Avenue) on the east, and Washington Avenue on the south. It was built between 1698 and 1700,, p.20, p.178 making it the oldest church in Pennsylvania and second oldest Swedish church in the United States after

Holy Trinity Church (Old Swedes) Holy Trinity Church, also known as Old Swedes, is a historic church at East 7th and Church Street in Wilmington, Delaware. It was consecrated on Trinity Sunday, June 4, 1699, by a predominantly Swedish congregation formerly of the colony of New S ...

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington (Unami language, Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North ...

. The carpenters for the building were John Smart and John Buett and bricks were supplied by Richard Cantril.Craig, Peter Stebbins; and Kim-Eric Williams, eds. ''Colonial Records of the Swedish Churches in Pennsylvania''. Philadelphia: Swedish Colonial Society, 2006., v. 2, p154. The church displays the English vernacular style of church design, which combines elements of the Medieval and Gothic styles. The church's vestry and entranceway were added in 1703 to buttress the walls, which had begun to buckle under the weight of the roof. The tower was added c.1733, and interior alterations were made in 1845, designed by Samuel Sloan. The congregation was established on Tinicum Island in 1646. It moved to its present site in 1677, five years before the founding of the city of Philadelphia, and the graveyard around the church to about the same time. Formerly a Swedish Lutheran congregation, the church has been

Episcopalian Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

since 1845.

History

Gloria Dei is the oldest church in

and second oldest

Swedish church The Church of Sweden ( sv, Svenska kyrkan) is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.6 million members at year end 2021, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sweden ...

in the United States after

. Swedish pioneers of

New Sweden New Sweden ( sv, Nya Sverige) was a Swedish colony along the lower reaches of the Delaware River in what is now the United States from 1638 to 1655, established during the Thirty Years' War when Sweden was a great military power. New Sweden f ...

were the first to settle the area in 1646. An existing blockhouse at Wicaco (now South Philadelphia), had been renovated for worship in 1677 and was used until the present church (built beginning in 1698) was consecrated on the First Sunday after

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God th ...

, June 2, 1700. Colonial painter

Gustavus Hesselius Gustavus Hesselius (1682 – May 25, 1755) was a Swedish-American painter. He was European trained and became a leading artist in the mid-Atlantic colonies during the first half of the eighteenth century. He was among the earliest portrait painte ...

was a member here. In 1703, Gloria Dei was the site of the first regular

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...

ordination in the Americas, that of Justus Falckner, a German theology student.

Jenny Lind Johanna Maria "Jenny" Lind (6 October 18202 November 1887) was a Swedish opera singer, often called the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she performed in soprano roles in opera in Sweden and ...

sang here during one of her American tours. Hanging in the center aisle is a Swedish chandelier given by famous Swedish artist

Carl Milles Carl Milles (; 23 June 1875 – 19 September 1955) was a Swedish sculptor. He was married to artist Olga Milles (née Granner) and brother to Ruth Milles and half-brother to the architect Evert Milles. Carl Milles sculpted the Gustaf Vasa s ...

. Recollections of many Swedish royal and episcopal visits are treasured memories, including models of ''

Fogel Grip ''Fogel Grip'' (''Bird Griffin'', Swedish: ''Fågel Grip'') was a Swedish sailing ship originally built in the Netherlands in the early 17th century. She was used on the first Swedish expedition in 1638 together with ''Kalmar Nyckel'' to establi ...

'' and '' Kalmar Nyckel'', the first Swedish ships to arrive in New Sweden. The church has a collection of historical and religious artifacts the church has acquired over three centuries, including bronze crosses and 18th century Bibles in Swedish and English. In 1845, the formerly Swedish Lutheran congregation joined the Episcopal Church. Today the church is owned and maintained by its congregation of Episcopalians. The church was designated a National Historic Site on November 17, 1942. It is an affiliated area of the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational properti ...

under

Independence National Historical Park Independence National Historical Park is a federally protected historic district in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that preserves several sites associated with the American Revolution and the nation's founding history. Administered by the National P ...

. The church site is owned and administered by the Corporation of Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

on October 15, 1966.''The National Parks: Index 2001-2003''. Washington: U.S. Department of the Interior

Cemetery

2014 Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church graveyard

The church cemetery includes the following interments: *

Sven Gunnarsson Sven Gunnarsson (d. 1678) was a founder of the New Sweden colony, owner of land which today is most of present-day Queen Village in Philadelphia, and a progenitor of the Du Pont family in modern-day Delaware. New Sweden colony Gunnarsson (princ ...

(d. 1678), one of the first buried at the church, a founding father of the

colony. * John C. Hunterson (1841-1927), Civil War soldier and

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of val ...

recipient (issued August 2, 1897). * William Irvine (1741–1804), Revolutionary War officer and physician. * George Ord, Jr. (1781–1866), ornithologist. *

James Peale James Peale (1749 – May 24, 1831) was an American painter, best known for his miniature and still life paintings, and a younger brother of noted painter Charles Willson Peale. Early life Peale was born in Chestertown, Maryland, the second ...

(1749–1831), Revolutionary War officer and artist (brother of

Charles Willson Peale Charles Willson Peale (April 15, 1741 – February 22, 1827) was an American Painting, painter, soldier, scientist, inventor, politician and naturalist. He is best remembered for his portrait paintings of leading figures of the American Revolu ...

). *

Sarah Miriam Peale Sarah Miriam Peale (May 19, 1800 – February 4, 1885) was an American portrait painter, considered the first American woman to succeed as a professional artist. One of a family of artists of whom her uncle Charles Willson Peale was the most illu ...

(1800–1885) portrait painter, daughter of James Peale. * Alexander Wilson (1766–1813), ornithologist and illustrator. *

Amandus Johnson Amandus Johnson (October 27, 1877 – June 30, 1974) was a Swedish- American historian, author and museum director. He is most associated with his epic two volume history '' The Swedish Settlements on the Delaware 1638-1664'', which was also publ ...

(1877–1974), Swedish-American scholar and founder of the

American Swedish Historical Museum The American Swedish Historical Museum is the oldest Swedish-American museum in the United States. It is located in Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park in South Philadelphia, on part of a historic 17th-century land grant originally provided by Que ...

. *

Peter Gunnarsson Rambo Peter Gunnarsson Rambo (10 June 1611, Hisingen, Gothenburg, Sweden – 21 January 1698, Wicaco, Pennsylvania, United States) was a Swedish immigrant to New Sweden (now part of Philadelphia) known as a farmer and a justice of the Governor's Counc ...

(1611–1698),

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

immigrant who became known as the Father of

Gallery

File:Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church National Historic Site GLDE5011.jpg, Church interior with balcony and organ File:Gloria Dei (Church), 929 South Water Street, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA HABS PA,51-PHILA,174- (sheet 3 of 10).png, Architectural drawing of the church's west and east sides File:Gloria Dei (Church), 929 South Water Street, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA HABS PA,51-PHILA,174- (sheet 5 of 10).png, Drawing of the church's south side File:Gloria Dei (Church), 929 South Water Street, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA HABS PA,51-PHILA,174- (sheet 2 of 10).png,

Floor plans In architecture and building engineering, a floor plan is a technical drawing to scale, showing a view from above, of the relationships between rooms, spaces, traffic patterns, and other physical features at one level of a structure. Dimensio ...

of the first floor and balcony File:Philadelphia_LCCN98517356_(cropped).jpg, WPA poster promoting the church as a Philadelphia destination File:Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Episcopal Church 916 S Swanson St Philadelphia PA (DSC 3851).jpg, National Historic Site plaque on the church wall File:Gloria Dei Church (Old Swedes) Historical Marker 916 S Swanson St Philadelphia PA (DSC 3837).jpg,

Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) is the governmental agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania responsible for the collection, conservation and interpretation of Pennsylvania's historic heritage. The commission cares fo ...

marker

References

External links

*
NPS website: Gloria Dei Church National Historic Site
*

Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church Burial Ground
at

Find A Grave Find a Grave is a website that allows the public to search and add to an online database of cemetery records. It is owned by Ancestry.com. Its stated mission is "to help people from all over the world work together to find, record and present fi ...

Digitized historical documents from Gloria Dei, on the Philadelphia Congregations website.
{{authority control Churches in Philadelphia Buildings and structures in Independence National Historical Park South Philadelphia Episcopal churches in Pennsylvania New Sweden Swedish-American culture in Pennsylvania Churches completed in 1700 Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia National Historic Sites in Pennsylvania Tourist attractions in Philadelphia 1677 establishments in Pennsylvania 1942 establishments in Pennsylvania Historic American Buildings Survey in Philadelphia 17th-century Episcopal church buildings 17th-century churches in the United States 18th-century churches in the United States Colonial architecture in the United States 1700 establishments in Pennsylvania Cemeteries in Philadelphia Protected areas of Philadelphia

History

Cemetery

Gallery

See also

References

External links