Product Description

Philadelphia is a walkable city where the modern visitor encounters historic architecture at every turn. In fact, no other American city is so richly endowed with historic buildings as Philadelphia—some dating back to the seventeenth century. In addition to obvious national treasures like Independence Hall, there are thousands of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century homes that continue to shelter and comfort Philadelphians as they have for centuries. Less well known are the hundreds of sacred places—colonial and Victorian Protestant and Catholic churches, Quaker meeting houses, and Jewish synagogues—that enrich every neighborhood. Replete with symbolism and often architecturally impressive, these sacred places await discovery in the pages of this handsome book.

The rich diversity of Philadelphia's sacred places owes its existence to William Penn's guarantee of religious toleration to the many religious denominations attracted to his "holy experiment." They are a metaphor for the modern American pluralistic society that is itself a legacy from Penn. Philadelphia's historic sacred places also reflect how these different congregations chose to celebrate their belief in God through the choice of architectural style, art, and decoration. Here can be found the eloquent simplicity of Quaker meeting houses, the soaring steeples of colonial churches surrounded by atmospheric graveyards, and opulently embellished Roman Catholic parish churches.

Roger Moss has selected fifty of these inspired Philadelphia historic sacred places, and he conducts the reader on a tour of each hallowed site, calling attention to the architecture and fine details that are then recorded in exquisite color photographs by Tom Crane. At each site the reader is provided with the basic information about the congregation that commissioned the building as well as the architects, artists, and artisans who created these masterpieces—collectively, a treasure of our shared cultural heritage.

This opulent volume, by the author and photographer of the acclaimed Historic Houses of Philadelphia, will serve as a guide through the architectural and religious traditions of Philadelphia, complete with maps, telephone numbers, and web sites, so the reader can visit these sacred places in person. There is also an extensive bibliography of further reading on each sacred place.

A Barra Foundation Book

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #194839 in Books
• Published on: 2004-10-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 328 pages

Review
...sumptuously illustrated... -- Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, July 2006

I cannot imagine myself now traveling in America without visiting some of these buildings. -- Quaker Monthly, October 2006

Review

"A wondrous visual and historical tour of the city's major places of worship. It's more than a coffee table photo book, and it's more than just a historical look. It combines the best of each genre and becomes a great look into the past of these historic churches, synagogues, and meeting houses."—Evening Bulletin

"Moss proves a knowledgeable guide to Philadelphia's famous and lesser-known sacred places, and Tom Crane's photographs are stunning."—Sacred Places

Praise for Historic Houses of Philadelphia, also by author Roger W. Moss and photographer Tom Crane:

"This book is a must for anyone interested in the early architecture of the Philadelphia area."—Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography

"A beautiful book of national architectural significance."—Old House Journal

"Abundant color photographs will make you want to visit them all."—House Beautiful

About the Author
Roger W. Moss is Executive Director of The Athenaeum of Philadelphia and an Adjunct Professor of Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of a dozen books, including Historic Houses of Philadelphia, available from the University of Pennsylvania Press. Tom Crane is a widely published freelance photographer whose work is featured in Historic Houses of Philadelphia.

Customer Reviews

Both Stunning and Stimulating
As an Episcopal priest living in the Philadelphia area I was familiar with a number of the churches singled out in this gorgeous book, but I was as fascinated and awed by the stories and photographs of the churches I have never entered--but now long to!--as I was with the histories and photographs of the churches I know well. This is a book which will please anyone interested in Pennsylvania or Philadelphia history, church architecture, or the history of architecture, as well as anyone who simply likes to look at exquisite photographs. At the price quoted above, this is the steal of the century!

Beautiful!
Philadelphia has a bad habit of ripping down its historic buildings. Preservation of history is never on our council's mind.

Some of the most interesting historic places in Philadelphia are the cemeteries and the churches. This book highlights the churches, and, by extension, many of the burial grounds.

All religions are represented. And, because the Quakers were more accepting than others at the time, there are more religions to represent here than one would imagine.

The text is informative. The pictures are beautiful.

Pick one up and enjoy it!!

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Historic Sacred Places of Philadelphia
I found the book very neautifully put together with fine photography. As another reviewer noted there are factual mistakes. One thing that consistently seems to be a problem with American Protestants is their lack of understanding of the Catholic Church. The authors have a section on Roman Catholics and then include Ukrainian Catholics under Orthodox. Why cannot they just make a section on Catholics and include Roamn Catholic and the other Catholic churches. Eastern Catholic churches recognize the pope, Orthodox do not. They are Catholic, not Orthodox. Again they are not Ukrainian Catholics of the Byzantinr Rite. The Ukrainian Catholic Church is one of seven Catholic churches that use the Byzatine Rite, the same set of ceremonies used by the Greek Orthodox and the Russian Orthodox. With the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral here in Philadelphia and the church having been admisistered here when it was abolished in the Ukrain by the Soviets, it would seem important for a writer to correctly identify them. They represent the second largest church within the Catholic Church. This understanding would especially seem important as more and more Eastern Christians whether Catholic, Orthox, Pseudo Othodox or Independents settle in Philadelphia. If it says Catholic, it is not Orthodox unless the fuller term Othodox Catholic is used.