Gloria Dei: The Oldest Church in Pennsylvania

Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church in South Philadelphia was built in 1698-1700 by Swedish Lutheran settlers, making it the oldest church in Pennsylvania and one of the oldest surviving churches in the United States. Burials in the churchyard go back to the early congregation, though its oldest legible gravestones date to the early 1700s. The congregation, which dates to 1646 on Tinicum Island, moved to this site in 1677, and the church building still holds regular Episcopalian services. The site was part of the original Swedish colony of New Sweden, which predated William Penn's arrival.