St. Stephen's Episcopal Church is a historic

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, founded in 1823 in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

and located at 19 South Tenth Street, on the corner of Tenth Street and Ludlow Street. St. Stephen's was designed by William Strickland in the

Gothic revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

style. It is the oldest extant building in Philadelphia in this style and was designed by an architect-engineer best known for

Greek Revival Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

buildings, though, like his mentor

Benjamin Latrobe Benjamin Henry Boneval Latrobe (May 1, 1764 – September 3, 1820) was a British-American neoclassical architect who immigrated to the United States. He was one of the first formally trained, professional architects in the new United States, dr ...

, he produced buildings in other "picturesque" styles as well.Martin Aurand, 1978, NRHP Nomination Form for St. Stephen's ChurchEnter "public" for ID and "public" for password to access the site. St. Stephen's first service was held on February 27, 1823. On June 4, 1979, it was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. On May 28, 1957, it was designated a historic landmark by the Philadelphia Historical Commission.

History

Called "bold" in its time, St. Stephen's is an example of Philadelphia's earliest

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

buildings that responded to the great local demand for this type since the 1780s. Long considered "misunderstood" Gothic, this early or "Georgian" Gothic, popular in 18th-century Britain, recalls the architecture of Protestant Tudor England (1485–1603) rather than the high Gothic of the Pre-Reformation 12th century that inspired the familiar Gothic Revival from the 1830s on. Architect

Frank Furness Frank Heyling Furness (November 12, 1839 – June 27, 1912) was an American architect of the Victorian era. He designed more than 600 buildings, most in the Philadelphia area, and is remembered for his diverse, muscular, often inordinately scaled ...

added a transept and vestry room in 1878. A plaque on the outside front wall, apparently unrelated to the oval Philadelphia Historical Commission marker above it, reads: "THIS CHURCH IS BUILT ON THE SITE WHERE BENJ. FRANKLIN FLEW HIS FAMOUS KITE," though the history of the marker is unclear, and apparently unrelated to the oval Philadelphia Historical Commission marker above it.

Artwork

The sanctuary contains a great deal of artwork from throughout the church's history. Sculptor Carl Johann Steinhauser was commissioned to create two sculptures for the church: the "Angel of the Resurrection" (also known as the Burd Children's Memorial, for three of the children of Edward Shippen Burd and Eliza Howard Sims Burd) in 1852 and the Burd Baptismal font, completed in 1857. Architect

Richard Upjohn Richard Upjohn (22 January 1802 – 16 August 1878) was a British-American architect who immigrated to the United States and became most famous for his Gothic Revival churches. He was partially responsible for launching the movement to popula ...

designed a side chapel (1849–1853) to house the Burd Children's Monument. Other artwork includes the Burd Canopy Tomb (c. 1860), designed by architect Frank Wills and sculpted by Henry Kirke Brown; various memorials to former rectors; and, until it was purchased by the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 2004, the sculpture ''The Angel of Purity'' by

Augustus Saint-Gaudens Augustus Saint-Gaudens (; March 1, 1848 – August 3, 1907) was an American sculpture, sculptor of the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts generation who embodied the ideals of the American Renaissance. Saint-Gaudens was born in Dublin to an Iris ...

. The sanctuary features stained glass windows created by D'Ascenzo Studios as well as

Louis Comfort Tiffany Louis Comfort Tiffany (February 18, 1848 – January 17, 1933) was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in stained glass. He is associated with the art nouveauLander, David"The Buyable ...

of Tiffany Studios. Architect Henry Holiday designed two of the stained glass windows in the sanctuary in addition to the Venetian glass mosaic of The Last Supper (1887–1889) above the altar.

Rectors

In the

Episcopal Church in the United States of America The Episcopal Church (TEC), also known as the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America (PECUSA), is a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion, based in the United States. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is ...

, the rector is the priest elected to head a self-supporting parish. * The Rev. Dr. James Montgomery (1823–1834) * The Rev. Dr. H. W. Ducachet (1834–1865) * The Rev. Dr. William Rudder (1865–1880) * The Rev. Dr. Samuel D. McConnell (1882–1896) * The Rev. Dr. Elwood Worcester (1896–1904) * The Rev. Dr. Carl E. Grammer (1905–1936) * The Rev. Dr. Vincent C. Franks (1937–1939) * The Rev. Dr. Alfred W. Price (1942–) * The Rev. Roy Hendricks (1971–1983) * The Rev. Patricia A. Oglesby, interim (1983–1985) * The Rev. Robert A. Schiesler (1985–1990) * The Rev. Charles T. Flood Priest-in-Charge and then rector (1990–2016) * The Rev. Peter Kountz, PhD, Vicar (2016–2019) and then Priest-in-Residence (2019–present) * The Rev. Michael Giansiracusa, Vicar (2019–present)

References

Notes

External links

* * * *
St. Stephen's Protestant Episcopal ChurchPennsylvania Historical and Museum CommissionPhiladelphia Historical CommissionThe Immortals of St. Stephen's Church, Philadelphia: A Paper Read at the Parish's 125th Anniversary Dinner (1948)Reports and Financial Statements Rendered at the Annual Parish Meeting of St. Stephen's Church, Philadelphia (1937-1953)Address of Roland S. Morris Delivered at the Centennial Anniversary of St. Stephen's Church, Philadelphia (1923)Service Leaflet for the Presentation of Recent Improvements by Ms. Anne Magee on the 100th Anniversary of the Consecration of St. Stephen's Church, Philadelphia (1923)Service Leaflet for the Presentation of Alternations and Decorations by Ms. Anne Magee at St. Stephen's Church, Philadelphia (1918)The Rich Heritage of 125 Years of Christian Service: St. Stephen's Church in the City of Philadelphia (1948)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Stephens Episcopal Church, Philadelphia Churches completed in 1823 19th-century Episcopal church buildings Churches in Philadelphia Episcopal churches in Pennsylvania Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia Frank Furness buildings Gothic Revival church buildings in Pennsylvania Market East, Philadelphia Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania

History

Artwork

Rectors

See also

References

External links