8 Best Sights in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The basilica of the archdiocese of Philadelphia is the spiritual center for the Philadelphia area's 1½ million Roman Catholics. Topped by a huge, distinctive copper dome, the large brownstone building was built between 1846 and 1864 in the Italian Renaissance style. Many of the interior decorations are by Constantino Brumidi, who painted the dome of the U.S. Capitol. Several Philadelphia bishops and archbishops are buried beneath the altar. Pick up a brochure for a self-guided tour by the entrance or gift shop, or see the website.

The Anglicans of the Church of England built a wooden church on this site in 1697. When they outgrew it, they erected a new church, the most sumptuous in the colonies, probably designed by Dr. John Kearsley and modeled on the work of famed English architect Sir Christopher Wren. The symmetrical, classical facade with arched windows, completed in 1754, is a fine example of Georgian architecture; the church is one of the city's treasures. The congregation included 15 signers of the Declaration of Independence. The bells and the soaring 196-foot steeple, the tallest in the colonies, were financed by lotteries run by Benjamin Franklin. Brass plaques mark the pews of George and Martha Washington, John and Abigail Adams, Betsy Ross, and others. Two blocks west of the church is Christ Church Burial Ground. Guided tours are available throughout the day.

One of the few remaining relics from the Swedes who settled in Pennsylvania before William Penn, Gloria Dei, also known as Old Swedes' Church, has been active since 1700. It’s the oldest church in Pennsylvania and second oldest in the entire country. Models of the ships that transported the first Swedish settlers hang from the ceiling in the center of the church; the baptismal font dates all the way back to 1731, while religious carvings on display are even older. Grouped around the house of worship are the parish hall, the sexton’s house, the rectory, and the church offices. Sitting in the center of a graveyard, Old Swedes' is calming in its tranquility.

In 1787, Rev. Richard Allen, a former slave, galvanized fellow black congregants who left St. George's Methodist Church in a protest against segregated worship. Allen purchased this site in 1791, and it's believed to be the country's oldest parcel of land continuously owned by African Americans. When the African Methodist Episcopal Church, America’s first black congregation, was formed in 1816, Allen was its first bishop. The current church is an example of the 19th-century Romanesque Revival style, with broad arches, opalescent stained glass, and stunning woodwork. An earlier building on these grounds was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Allen's tomb and a small museum are on the lower level.

Designed by Robert Smith in 1768, Old Pine is the only remaining Colonial Presbyterian church and churchyard in Philadelphia. Badly damaged during the Revolution, it served as a hospital and then a stable. In the mid–19th century, its exterior had a Greek Revival facelift that introduced Corinthian columns. In the 1980s, the interior walls and ceiling were stenciled with thistle and wave motifs, a reminder of Old Pine's true name—Third, Scots, and Mariners Presbyterian Church—which documented the congregation's mergers. The beautifully restored church is painted in soft shades of periwinkle and yellow. In the churchyard are the graves of 100 Hessian soldiers from the Revolution, and that of Eugene Ormandy, former conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

In 1733 a tiny chapel was established by Jesuits for Philadelphia's 11 Catholic families. It was one of the first places in the English-speaking colonies where Catholic mass could be legally celebrated, a right granted under William Penn's 1701 Charter of Privileges, which guaranteed religious freedom. But freedom didn't come easy; on one occasion Quakers had to patrol St. Joseph's to prevent a Protestant mob from disrupting services. The present church, built in 1839, is the third on this site. The late-19th-century stained-glass windows are notable.

The city's second-oldest Catholic church, circa 1763, became its first cathedral when the city's archdiocese was formed in 1810. Though the interior was renovated in the 1960s, the stained-glass windows and brass chandeliers that once hung in the Founders Room of Independence Hall are historic highlights. Commodore John Barry, a Revolutionary War naval hero, and other famous Philadelphians are buried in the small churchyard.

St. Peter's Church has been in continuous use since its first service on September 4, 1761. The brick Palladian-style building was designed by Scottish architect Robert Smith, also responsible for Carpenters' Hall and the steeple on Christ Church. William Strickland's simple steeple, a Philadelphia landmark, was added in 1842. Notable features include the grand Palladian window on the chancel wall, high-back box pews that were raised off the floor to eliminate drafts, and the unusual arrangement of altar and pulpit at either end of the main aisle. The design has been called "restrained," but what is palpable on a visit is the silence and grace of the stark white interior. In the churchyard lie Commodore John Hazelwood, a Revolutionary War hero; painter Charles Willson Peale; and seven Native American chiefs who died of smallpox on a visit to Philadelphia in 1793. A guide may be on hand Saturday from 11 to 1 and on Sunday from 1 to 3. Tours available on weekdays by appointment.