Edinburgh, Scotland The High Kirk of Giles is the greatest church in Edinburgh, the chief house of worship of the Church of Scotland and the spiritual headquarters of the worldwide Presbyterian community. Originally the Catholic Cathedral of St. Giles, the church was seized by the Protestants in the 1550s. It is also unofficially the church of the monarchy in Scotland. … [Read more...]
ST. PIERRE’S CATHEDRAL
Geneva, Switzerland While Wittenberg is honored as the birthplace of the Protestant Reformation, it was Geneva that served as the unofficial headquarters of Reformation activity throughout the better part of the 16th century. Although he was not a Lutheran, John Calvin took up the banner of the Reformation in the years following Martin Luther’s death as the next great … [Read more...]
GROSSMUNSTER OF ZURICH
Zurich, Switzerland Uldrich Zwingli is the oft-forgotten third leg of the Protestant Reformation, almost lost in the shadows of giants Luther and Calvin. The most prominent Reformer independent of Luther, he established Protestantism throughout much of Switzerland a few decades before John Calvin showed up. Until Calvin established himself in Geneva, Zurich was the … [Read more...]
OLD SHIP CHURCH
Hingham, Massachusetts The Old Ship Church is one of America’s great religious treasures. Dating from the late 7th century, it is the oldest church in continuous use in the United States, having been used for worship every year for over three hundred and thirty years. It is also the oldest surviving Puritan Meeting House in the United States, and the only remaining church … [Read more...]
PRINCETON CEMETERY
Princeton, New Jersey Princeton Cemetery is one of America’s most famous burial grounds, the resting place of presidents and high governmental officials, generals, scientists, the rich and famous, and a good number of America’s most prominent early religious leaders and theologians. Among the more famous are Aaron Burr Sr., father of the third Vice President, and John … [Read more...]
FAIRFIELD PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Fairton, New Jersey The Fairfield Presbyterian Church in Fairton, New Jersey is one of the most historic Presbyterian churches in the United States. Although not the first Presbyterian congregation in America, it predates the American Revolution and is the oldest Presbyterian church in use in the United States, ranking it among the other important early Reformed churches in … [Read more...]
MARBLE COLLEGIATE CHURCH
New York, New York Marble Collegiate Church, formally known as Fifth Avenue Church, is one of America’s most historic churches. A remnant of the old Dutch Reformed Church, the congregation of Marble Collegiate is one of the oldest continually active in the country. In recent years it was made famous as the home church of Norman Vincent Peale, one of the most popular and … [Read more...]
OLD DUTCH CHURCH
Sleepy Hollow, New York The Old Dutch Church in Sleepy Hollow is the oldest surviving Dutch Reformed Church building in the United States. It is perhaps even more famous because of its association with Washington Irving’s story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Many prominent early Dutch settlers are also buried in the church yard. Although the Old Dutch Church is kept in … [Read more...]
PURITAN HERITAGE SITES OF PLYMOUTH
Plymouth, Massachusetts In the 1620, the first refugees to flee the religious persecutions and wars then raging in Europe arrived in the Massachusetts Bay area of New England. After a brief interlude on Cape Cod, they established the Plymouth Colony. Although Jamestown in Virginia predated the Massachusetts settlement, it was Plymouth that established the tradition of … [Read more...]
