Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church

{{short description|National Historic Site of the United States}}

{{Infobox NRHP

| name = Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church

| nrhp_type =

| image = 2014 Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church from west.jpg

| caption = The church in March 2014

| coordinates = {{coord|39.9345|-75.1435|region:US-PA_type:landmark|format=dms|display=inline,title}}

| location = 929 South Water Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

| locmapin = Philadelphia#Pennsylvania#USA

| map_caption = Location in metropolitan Philadelphia

| built = 1678–1700
additions: 1703, c. 1733

| architecture = English vernacular

| added = October 15, 1966

| area = {{convert|3.7|acre}}

| website = [http://www.old-swedes.org Official site]

| refnum = 66000682{{NRISref|version=2010a}}

| designated_other1_name = Pennsylvania state historical marker

| designated_other1_abbr = PHMC

| designated_other1_date = December 17, 1954{{cite web |title=PHMC Historical Markers |work=Historical Marker Database |publisher=Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission |url=http://search.pahistoricalmarkers.com/ |access-date=December 10, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20131207041235/http://search.pahistoricalmarkers.com/ |archive-date=December 7, 2013 |url-status=dead }}

| designated_other1_link = List of Pennsylvania state historical markers

| designated_other1_color = navy

| designated_other1_textcolor = #ffc94b

| designated_other2_name = National Historic Site

}}

Gloria Dei Church, known locally as Old Swedes{{'}}, is a historic church located in the Southwark neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 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,{{cite philarch}}, p.20{{cite philarchmit}}, p.178 making it the oldest church in Pennsylvania and second oldest Swedish church in the United States after Holy Trinity Church (Old Swedes) in Wilmington, Delaware.

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.{{Cite book|last=Craig|first=Peter|title=Colonial Records of the Swedish Churches in Pennsylvania, Vol 1.|publisher=Swedish Colonial Society|year=2006|isbn=|location=Philadelphia|pages=6|language=English}} 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 since 1845.

History

File:Gloria Dei 1860 Clay.jpg

Gloria Dei is the oldest church in Pennsylvania and second oldest Swedish church in the United States after Holy Trinity Church (Old Swedes) in Wilmington, Delaware. Swedish pioneers of New Sweden 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, June 2, 1700.O'Connor, Mary Eileen, Gloria Dei "Old Swedes" Church (Holy Philadelphia highlights region's religious diversity), Holy Philadelphia, an original WHYY program){{Cite web |url=http://www.genealogia.fi/emi/art/index4e.htm |title=G. Sjöblom, "The 75-Year-Old Gloria Dei Church and Its Predecessor 1891-1966" |access-date=2009-09-06 |archive-date=2009-10-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091027210702/http://www.genealogia.fi/emi/art/index4e.htm |url-status=dead }} Colonial painter Gustavus Hesselius was a member here.Records of Holy Trinity Church (Old Swedes') Church, Wilmington, Delaware. Separate Index, 1730.

In 1703, Gloria Dei was the site of the first regular Lutheran ordination in the Americas, that of Justus Falckner, a German theology student. Jenny Lind sang here during one of her American tours. Hanging in the center aisle is a Swedish chandelier given by famous Swedish artist Carl Milles. Recollections of many Swedish royal and episcopal visits are treasured memories, including models of Fogel Grip and Kalmar Nyckel, the first Swedish ships to arrive in New Sweden.Williams, Rev. Dr. Kim-Eric The Eight Old Swedes' Churches of New Sweden (Wilmington, DE: New Sweden Center, 1999)

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.{{cite web|title=Philadelphia. Old Swedes Church|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/9570/|work=Work Projects Administration Poster Collection|publisher=Library of Congress|access-date=5 January 2014}} Today the church is owned and maintained by its congregation of Episcopalians.Ashmead, Henry Graham, History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania (Chapter II, Philadelphia: L. H. Everts & Co. 1884)

The church was designated a National Historic Site on November 17, 1942. It is an affiliated area of the National Park Service under Independence National Historical Park. 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 on October 15, 1966.The National Parks: Index 2001-2003. Washington: U.S. Department of the Interior

Swedish pastors

Andreas Rudman, 1697-1702
Andreas Sandel, 1702-1719
Jonas Lidman, 1719-1730
Johan Eneberg, acting 1730-1733
Johannes Dylander, 1737-1741
Gabriel Näsman, 1743-1750
Olof Parlin, 1750-1757
Erik Nordenlind, acting 1757-1759
Carl Magnus Wrangel, 1759-1768
Anders Göransson, 1768-1779
Matthias Hultgren, 1779-1786
Nicholas Collin, 1786-1831

Source:Norberg, Otto (1893). Svenska kyrkans mission vid Delaware. Diss. Uppsala universitet.

Cemetery

File:2014 Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church graveyard.jpg

The church cemetery includes the following interments:

Johan Dylander, pastor 1737-1741
Sven Gunnarsson (d. 1678), one of the first buried at the church, a founding father of the New Sweden colony
John C. Hunterson (1841-1927), American Civil War soldier and Medal of Honor recipient
William Irvine (1741–1804), American Revolutionary War officer and physician
Amandus Johnson (1877–1974), Swedish-American scholar and founder of the American Swedish Historical Museum
George Ord (1781–1866), ornithologist
Andreas Rudman, pastor 1698-1702
James Peale (1749–1831), American Revolutionary War officer, artist, and brother of Charles Willson Peale
Sarah Miriam Peale (1800–1885) portrait painter and daughter of James Peale
Peter Gunnarsson Rambo (1611–1698), Swedish immigrant who became known as "the Father of New Sweden"
Alexander Wilson (1766–1813), ornithologist and illustrator

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 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 marker

References

External links

{{Official website|http://www.old-swedes.org/}}
[http://www.nps.gov/glde/ NPS website: Gloria Dei Church National Historic Site]
Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) documentation, filed under 929 South Water Street, Philadelphia:
{{HABS |survey=PA-120 |id=pa0760 |title=Gloria Dei (Church) |photos=15 |dwgs=11 |data=3 |cap=1 |supp=yes |link=no}}
{{HABS |survey=PA-120-A |id=pa1209 |title=Gloria Dei (Church), Rectory |photos=2 |cap=1 |link=no}}
[http://www.colonialswedes.org/Churches/GloDei.html Churches of New Sweden] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110407094831/http://www.colonialswedes.org/Churches/GloDei.html |date=April 7, 2011 }}
[https://philadelphiacongregations.org/records/items/browse?collection=4 Digitized historical documents from Gloria Dei, on the Philadelphia Congregations website.]