Christ Church, Philadelphia
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The Anglicans of the Church of England founded Philadelphia's Christ Church in 1695 and built a small wooden church on the site by the next year. When they outgrew this structure some twenty years later, they decided to erect a new church—the most sumptuous in the colonies. Constructed between 1727 and 1744, Christ Church is considered one of the nation's most beautiful surviving 18th-century structures, a monument to colonial craftsmanship and a handsome example of Georgian architecture. It features a symmetrical, classical façade with arched windows and a simple yet elegant interior with fluted columns and wooden pews. The baptismal font where William Penn was baptized is still in use at Christ Church; it was sent to Philadelphia in 1697 from All Hallow’s Church in London.
Christ Church's congregation included 15 signers of the Declaration of Independence. Revolutionary War leaders who attended Christ Church include George Washington, Robert Morris, Benjamin Franklin and Betsy Ross (after she had been read out of the Quaker meeting house to which she belonged for marrying John Ross, son of an assistant rector at Christ Church). Brass plaques mark the pews where these individuals once sat. During the war, the Reverend William White (1748-1836), rector of Christ Church, served as Chaplain to both the Continental Congress and to the United States Senate.
Christ Church is also the first Protestant Episcopal church in the country. Indeed, Christ Church is the birthplace of the American Episcopal Church in the United States. In September 1785, clerical and lay deputies from several states met in Christ Church and organized as a general convention, of which White was chosen president. He prepared a draft constitution for the church as well as an address to the archbishops and bishops of the Church of England, asking for the episcopate at their hands. White was also largely responsible for the liturgy and offices of the first American Book of Common Prayer (published in 1789) which were to be submitted to Church of England authorities. At the convention of the Diocese of Pennsylvania in 1786, he was elected its first bishop and sailed for England with Dr. Samuel Provoost of New York, seeking consecration. After passage of a special enabling act by Parliament, White and Provoost were consecrated in early 1787 by the archbishops of Canterbury and York. Bishop White returned to Philadelphia that Easter Sunday. In 1789, under White's direction, the first meeting of the House of Bishops was held at Christ Church; this was the first true General Convention of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. White was the first Episcopal Bishop of Pennsylvania and served the congregations of Christ Church and St. Peter's Church for decades. The Right Reverend William White is buried in the chancel of Christ Church.
Designated a National Shrine in 1950 by Act of Congress, Christ Church is a unique historic site that continues its original function as a house of worship. The church is an active Episcopal parish and a member of the Anglican Communion. It receives no city, state or national government funding. Visitors are welcome to attend services.
See also Christ Church Burial Ground.
