Philadelphia is where the Founding Fathers ushered in the birth of a new nation independent of British rule. The town also served as the center of the new nation's religious life. Numerous historic churches have survived into the 21st century, maintaining their congregations and many of the unique historical elements that made them special.

The churches in Philadelphia represent a diversity of denominations, yet they all share a beauty and a history uncommon in the rest of the nation.

Philadelphia also offers stunning churches, ideal for individuals organizing their wedding day. These stunning churches work best in an intimate or opulent and magnificent environment. Your wedding day will be remembered for the beauty and charm each of these churches offers.

But the city’s churches could also be perfect for those who want to marvel at great architecture and design or spend time connecting with their religion more intimately.

Here is a list of 15 beautiful and historic churches worth visiting in Philadelphia: 

1. Union Baptist Church

Exterior view of Union Baptist Church. Image: Union Baptist Church Facebook page

• 1910 Fitzwater St.
• Union Baptist Church, established in 1832, is among Philadelphia’s earliest African American Baptist congregations

Whyy. org reveals that the church’s members erected several churches for worship. The website said that such a feat became an "extraordinary" tradition among African American congregations in Philadelphia. The lone building from Union that survives is a Gothic stone structure built in 1915.

2. Monumental Baptist Church

Monumental Baptist Church’s gorgeous exterior. Image: Monumental Baptist Church Facebook page

• 4948 Locust St.
• Monumental Baptist Church captures the atmosphere of a time when a unique architectural style was prevalent

Its website said the church’s existence began 37 years prior to Emancipation, or a full 30 years into the 19th century. The church boasts a captivating gothic design featuring an eye-catching sanctuary. It also originally had a pipe organ that filled the entire structure during church services.

3. Frankford Avenue Baptist Church

The Frankford Avenue Baptist Church, Kensington. Image: Keeping Philadelphia 

• 2437-49 Frankford Ave.
• Frankford Avenue Baptist Church stood near the intersection of Frankford and Letterly and was used as a place of worship

Isaac Pursell, an ecclesiastical architect, transformed the previous church complex into an eclectic architectural expression in stone in the late 1880s. The church has two stories that represent several architectural inspirations. It has several stone features with a commanding redbrick portion. The facade is said to be a Victorian architect’s handiwork.

4. First Baptist Church

Outside First Baptist Church. Image: First Baptist Church

• 123 S. 17th St.
• Philadelphia's First Baptist Church has a fascinating and outstanding past 

Church life was negatively impacted by a drop in membership and the observation that "the church and society were in a broken state" during the American Revolution. Thousands of servicemen and women were welcomed to attend Sunday services and were fed and entertained at the church during World War II.

5. Old First Reformed United Church

Inside the Old First Reformed United Church. Image: Old First Reformed United Church Facebook page

• 151 N. 4th St.
• The first church in Philadelphia to open its doors and offer nighttime shelter to city residents was Old First

The Old First Reformed United Church of Christ was established in Philadelphia in 1727 by German immigrants and has existed there for more than 280 years.  About 400 members of the Rev. George Michael Weiss' congregation traveled by water from the German Palatinate to Philadelphia.

6. Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church

Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church building exterior. Image: Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church

• 419 S 6th St.

• Civil rights activism on the part of Bethel AME Church has a long history. The church offered 30 fugitive Jamaican slaves safety in 1795

Richard Allen founded Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1794, making it the first AME church in the country. Ironically, Richard Allen's preaching led to the perception that white and black parishioners at St. George needed to be separated. 

7. Old Pine Presbyterian Church

The outside view of Old Pine Presbyterian Church. Image: Old Pine Presbyterian Church

• 412 Pine St.

• High box seats with side aisles close to the south and north walls flanked the church's east-to-west main aisle

Old Pine Presbyterian Church members have taken their Christian religion seriously and have been practicing it faithfully every day for 250 years. The church structure affectionately referred to as Old Pine has survived two centuries of architectural endurance testing.

8. Christ Community Church

Beautiful exterior of Christ Community Church. Image: Christ Community Church

• 4017 Chestnut St.
• The Christ Church is an excellent example of Georgian architecture with a brick-and-wood structure

The birthplace of the American Episcopal Church. Christ Church, founded in 1695, was the Church of England’s pioneering congregation in the city.

9. Metropolitan Baptist Church

The beautiful architecture outside Metropolitan Baptist Church. Image: Metropolitan Baptist Church

• 3500 Baring St.
• Thomas originally designed the Victorian Gothic style of the structure

The church has stunning stained glass windows, Gothic arches, Christian symbols embedded into its wall decors, and gray exterior stone walls called “Chestnut Hill.”

10. Old Zion Lutheran Church

Old Zion Lutheran Church Iconic organ. Image: Old Zion Lutheran Church

•  Intersection of N. Broad and Mt. Vernon streets

Nearing completion is a lengthy renovation that has preserved much of the church's gorgeous and historic organ's original tone.

11. The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul 

The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul’s interior design. Image: The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul

• 723 Race St.
• The Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul suggests that its architectural style was intended to be Neo-Classical from the beginning

The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, founded in 1864, is the main church or Mother Church of the Philadelphia Archdiocese. It is Pennsylvania's biggest Catholic church.

12. Old St. Mary’s Church

Outside the building of Old St. Mary’s Church. Image: Old St. Mary’s Church website

• 248 S. Fourth St.
• The second Catholic church in Philadelphia

The still-operational church welcomes visitors to Philadelphia. The church's interior, especially the balcony, is fascinating and worth a visit. The building's flat, brick-made front could be more appealing to the eye, but it reveals the history of religion in America.

13. St. John the Evangelist

St. John the Evangelist Nativity Sculptures. Image: St. John the Evangelist Facebook account

• 21 S. 13th St.
• Features stained glass windows and ornate, traditional Catholic symbols

Two American saints were raised by St. John's Parish Community, which has also twice caught fire. Its long history has endured anti-Catholic riots, fed the hungry, educated underprivileged children and adults, and functioned as the Diocese of Philadelphia's proto-cathedral. 

14. Old Saint Joseph's Catholic Church

Mass is held at Old Saint Joseph's Catholic Church. Image: Old Saint Joseph's Catholic Church Facebook page

• 321 Willings Alley 
• The oldest Roman Catholic church in Philadelphia 

It dates back to 1733 and survived the Anti-Catholic Riots in 1844 when there was a period of church burning. Behind the main altar in the church is an incredibly magnificent picture of the Crucifixion. A gracefully curved balcony is also included, which is unusual for a Catholic church.

15. St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church

Inside St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church. Image: St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church

• 242 S. 20th St.
• The new church is a copy of an English Gothic rural church from the 15th century, praised across the country for its beauty and design

St. Patrick Parish features a green tile roof, uniquely designed altars, stained glass windows, an Estey pipe organ, and copper gutters.

More from Crossmap:  Rev Dr Stephen Pogue speaks at Biden's State of Union address in Washington, DC