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.

The church building at Gloria Dei 'Old Swedes' has been in use since 1700, making it the oldest church building in Pennsylvania and the second oldest in the United States.  The steeple was completed in 1703.

Steeple of the Gloira Dei Church

Situated above the pulpit is the only stained glass window in the church building.  Created in the mid 1800s, the window is the earliest example of American stained glass among the 3600 windows in the Philadelphia region.

Interior of the Gloria Dei Church

This 1850s photograph shows a bird's-eye view of the Gloria Dei Church, with the cemetery in the foreground and the masts of ships visible in the background.

The Gloria Dei Church c.1850

Gloria Dei Church was designated as a National Historical Site in 1942. The Gloria Dei congregation owns and maintains the church and the related buildings, its ministry and the grounds.

Gloria Dei Chuch yard

Hanging from the ceiling of Gloria Dei are models of the two ships that brought the first Swedish colonists to North America in 1638, the "Kalmar Nyckel" and the "Fogel Gryp."

Gloria Dei Church National Historic Site

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Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial

Independence National Historical Park

Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site

John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum

Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail