Old Swedes Church
Old Swedes Church, in Wilmington, Delaware, is the oldest church in the United States standing as originally built and still in use as a house of worship.
The church is considered part of First State National Historical Park.
It was erected in 1698–1699 by descendents of the Swedish colonists who crossed the Atlantic aboard the Kalmar Nyckel in 1638.
The smith Mattias de Foss wrought dozens of letters for inscriptions on every outside wall, but only on the east wall are a few still in their original places, forming a fragment of “LUX-L.I. TENEBR. ORIENSEX ALTO” (“Light from on high shines in the darkness”).
Old Swedes Church
Old Swedes Church, in Wilmington, Delaware, is the oldest church in the United States standing as originally built and still in use as a house of worship.
The church is considered part of First State National Historical Park.
It was erected in 1698–1699 by descendents of the Swedish colonists who crossed the Atlantic aboard the Kalmar Nyckel in 1638.
The smith Mattias de Foss wrought dozens of letters for inscriptions on every outside wall, but only on the east wall are a few still in their original places, forming a fragment of “LUX-L.I. TENEBR. ORIENSEX ALTO” (“Light from on high shines in the darkness”).