Before Pennsylvania there was New Sweden. Discover this last historic link to a forgotten past. Visit the church's pastoral surroundings and its burial ground of patriots and ordinary citizens alike.
Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Episcopal Church in South Philadelphia is the oldest church building in Pennsylvania.
Gloria Dei Church. This small brick church sits at the end of a brick walk with old gravestones filling the churchyard, the grassy space in front and on either side. The church is a classic shape with a square vestibule in front and a long nave extending back from it. Two side wings holding the side aisles complete the cruciform or cross-like floorplan. A square bell tower rises over the middle of the building topped by a narrow conical steeple and weathervane. Some of the bricks are darker in color than others. On either side of the main doors the bricks form two diamond shapes. The large front doors are paneled wood and painted dark red. A large lantern-shaped light hangs over the door with a multipaned window directly above. Inserted into the brick paving in front of the door is a rectangular stone that reads, "This is none other but the House of God and this is the Gate of Heaven." Along the left side of the cemetery in front of the church are three buildings, which are identified on a map hanging on a wall in the parking lot on the far side of the buildings. The building immediately to the left of the church itself is the rectory, a long narrow two-story house. The next building as we move away from the church is Riverside Hall, a single-story building also of brick with large arched windows and doors at either end. Next to that is the Sexton's House, a small, three-story brick house. A hedge stands between this house and the churchyard, with a paved area and benches next to it. The walkway between the Sexton's House and Riverside Hall leads out to the small paved parking lot. At the far end of the cemetery, opposite the church, is Roak House, which has a two-story central section and two one-story wings on either side. End of Description.
Locate the gravestones of Revolutionary War soldiers at Gloria Dei Church National Historic Site. Explore the churchyard virtually from home, or pick up a map at the church door and take a stroll through the grounds.
