Philadelphia, PA

Welcome to Philadelphia

Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia is one of the oldest municipalities in the United States and played a central role in the American Revolution and the country's founding.

Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia

Often compared to the Champs Elysées in Paris, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway stretches from Philadelphia City Hall, curves around Logan Circle, and ends before the Philadelphia Museum of Art.t and boasts many cultural institutions along its broad boulevard.

Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Some of the city's most famous sights are here: Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul; Swann Memorial Fountain; Parkway Central Library, the Family Court Building, the Franklin Institute, Moore College of Art and Design, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Rodin Museum, Eakins Oval, the Barnes Foundation and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. From its northern end, the Parkway provides access to Fairmount Park through Kelly Drive (formerly East River Drive), Martin Luther King Drive (formerly West River Drive), the Schuylkill River Trail, and the Schuylkill Expressway

Looking Downtown Toward City Hall on Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Jacques Gréber designed the Parkway in 1917 to emulate the Champs-Élysées in Paris, France. The route was determined by an axis drawn from City Hall Tower to a fixed point on the hill that William Penn called "Fairmount", now the site of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The Champs-Élysées terminates at the Arc de Triomphe, and the Parkway's terminating at the Art Museum gives the notion of "a slice of Paris in Philadelphia." The Parkway contains flags of countries from around the world.

The Swann Memorial Fountain at Logan Circle

The Swann Memorial Fountain (also known as the Fountain of the Three Rivers) is an art deco fountain sculpture located in the center of Logan Circle in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The fountain, by Alexander Stirling Calder designed with architect Wilson Eyre, memorializes Dr. Wilson Cary Swann, founder of the Philadelphia Fountain Society. The Society had been planning a memorial fountain in honor of its late president and founder. After agreeing that the fountain would become city property, the society was granted the site in the center of Logan Circle

Logan Square on Benjamin Franklin Parkway,

Ever since Logan Circle opened in the 1920's, its princess trees have been local favorites. Their clusters of purplish flowers appear in early spring before the leaves, creating a mist of delicate colors over the fountain sprays. The surrounding beds of flowers and shrubs were originally designed in a formal French pattern, but have since been changed to a looser, more Romantic English style. Masses of tulips, dallies, grape hyacinths, and azaleas bloom in season. For many years the fountain was framed by a magnificent circle of Paulownia trees, which have since been replaced.

Beautiful Swann Fountain Philadelphia

The fountain, by Alexander Stirling Calder designed with architect Wilson Eyre. Adapting the tradition of “river god” sculpture, Calder created large Native American figures to symbolize the area's major streams, the Delaware, the Schuylkill, and the Wissahickon.

The Swann Fountain on Ben Franklin Parkway

Besides serving as the center of Logan Square, the Fountain also stands as the midpoint on the Ben Franklin Parkway, which includes also sculptures by two other generations of the Calder family. Stirling Calder's father, Alexander Milne Calder, designed the statue of William Penn atop the tower of City Hall at the southeast end, while, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on the northwest end, the mobile Ghosts is by Alexander Calder, Stirling Calder's son.

Swann Fountain in Logan Square

During warm months, swimming in the fountain is a long-standing Philadelphia tradition. In the summer of 2006, the City of Philadelphia began enforcing a swimming ban with a nearly constant security presence, but the ban was eliminated in 2009.

Fountain in Logan Square

Adapting the tradition of “river god” sculpture, Calder created large Native American figures to symbolize the area's major streams, the Delaware, the Schuylkill, and the Wissahickon. The young girl leaning on her side against an agitated, water-spouting swan represents the Wissahickon Creek; the mature woman holding the neck of a swan stands for the Schuylkill River; and the male figure, reaching above his head to grasp his bow as a large pike sprays water over him, symbolizes the Delaware River. Sculpted frogs and turtles spout water toward the 50-foot geyser in the center, though typically the geyser only spouts 25 ft . The use of swans is a pun on Dr. Swann's name. Eyre designed the basin and the interlacing water jets, including the central geyser.

The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia

The Franklin Institute, named after the noted American scientist and statesman Benjamin Franklin, is a museum in Philadelphia. It is one of the oldest centers of science education and development in the United States, dating to 1824. The Institute also houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial. The building is a sprawling neo-classical structure built in 1933 with a monumental columned facade and a great flight of steps on Logan Square.

Philadelphia Family Court Building at Logan Square

The Family Court building opened in 1941, and was designed by Philadelphia architect John Windrim as a twin to the Free Library Building next door. The Family Court building was listed in the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places in 1971

Philadelphia Family Court Building at Logan Square

The Family Court building opened in 1941, and was designed by Philadelphia architect John Windrim as a twin to the Free Library Building next door. The Family Court building was listed in the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places in 1971

Philadelphia Public Library in Logan Square

Parkway Central Library also known as Free Library or Central Library is the main public library building and administrative headquarters of the Free Library of Philadelphia system. It is the largest library, and only research library in the city of Philadelphia. The grand Beaux-Arts building was designed by Julian Abele, chief designer in the office of prominent Philadelphia architect Horace Trumbauer. Its design, that of the adjacent Philadelphia Family Court building, and their placement on Logan Circle closely follow that of the Hôtel de Crillon and the Hôtel de la Marine on Paris's Place de la Concorde.

The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul

Open since 1864 and located at the East side of Logan Square on 18th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the cathedral is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It is the largest brownstone structure in Philadelphia and the largest Catholic Church in Pennsylvania.

The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul

The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul is modeled after the Lombard Church of Saint Charles (San Carlo al Corso) in Rome. It is an excellent example of Roman-Corinthian architecture. The façade is Notman’s greatest achievement while serving as architect. The façade is of brownstone, now atmosphere and weather-worn and pinkish in color. The stone originally came from quarries in Connecticut and northern New Jersey. The façade is graced by four massive stone columns of the Corinthian order, over 60 feet high and 6 feet in diameter. The Basilica was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1971. In 1979 Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass at the cathedral

Interior of Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral Philadelphia

The interior of the basilica is in Roman-Corinthian style, is spacious with an oversize apse of stained glass and antique marble in magnificent proportions reminiscent of Roman churches and cross-shaped in form. The great nave is 50 feet wide and 192 feet long.

The Sanctuary of Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul

The focal point is the permanent altar, which faces east. It is constructed of Botticino marble with Mandorlato rose marble trim. Three bronze discs decorate the front, the central one of which bears the Greek inscription of Jesus Christ, IHS. The baldachin (canopy) over the altar is of antique Italian marble. The underside of the dome is a marble mosaic. Its central figure is the dove, symbol of the Holy Spirit. The capitals are cast bronze and angels of white Italian marble stand 10 feet high at the corners of the baldachin. The decorative rosettes are of Botticino marble. Six giant Verte Imperial marble columns are set into the curved wall of the apse. Interspersed between these pillars at the rear of the sanctuary, are stained-glass windows.

The Cathedra in the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul Philadelphia

On the left side of the sanctuary you will see the archbishop's chair (in Latin, cathedra), from which a cathedral gets its name. Here the leader of the Archdiocese presides at important celebrations of the local church, e.g., major feasts, the Rite of Election for catechumens, and ordinations of bishops, priests, and deacons. Above hangs the current archbishop's coat of arms.

The Southside Altar in th Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul

Design of the original architect, Napoleon LeBrun, the altar was placed in 1887 and dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Above the altar is the famous Venetian glass mosaics of The Apparition of Our Lord to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque. The altar was executed in 1915 in Venice, Italy but due to World War I, shipment to the United States was delayed and they were installed in the Cathedral in 1918.

North Side Chapel in Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral

Design of the original architect, Napoleon LeBrun, the altar was placed in 1887 and dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Above the altar is the famous Venetian glass mosaics of The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The altar was executed in 1915 in Venice, Italy but due to World War I, shipment to the United States was delayed and they were installed in the Cathedral in 1918.

The Interior of The Dome of Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral Basilica

The great dome rises 156 feet 8 inches above the floor of the Cathedral. The interior reveals a striking 1862 painting, The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin by Constantino Brumidi. At the next level are panel paintings entitled Angels of the Passion. With each group of angels is an emblem of the passion. On the third level, the stained-glass windows show Mary holding the Child Jesus, with Saint Peter on her right and Saint Paul on her left. The remaining windows are all Doctors of the Church.

Ceiling of Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral Philadelphia

Its vaulted ceiling is 80 feet above the floor. Massive pillars separate the nave and transept from the side aisles, which give way to arched recesses for altars and the Baptistery. The interior was largely decorated by Constantino Brumidi who also painted the Capitol in Washington. Gold rosettes on a rich blue background adorn the coffered ceiling. Bronze chandeliers, weighing a half ton each, light the nave.

The Baptistery in the Basilica Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul Philadelphia

In 1956, the apse was added with an exquisite stained-glass window, from Connick of Boston, depicting the baptism of Jesus by Saint John the Baptist and Saints Peter and Paul baptizing prisoners in the Mamertine prison in Rome with water from a miraculous spring. The baptistry is enclosed by a bronze screen inspired by a similar one in the Cathedral of Toledo in Spain. Set into the top center of the screen is the coat of arms of Cardinal O’Hara.

Altar dedicated to the Purgatorial or Holy Souls

The altar is a copy of the grand altar of The Chapel of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome, which is considered one of the most beautiful altars in the Eternal City. It was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680). The focal center of the altar is the Ciborium. Two angels kneel at the sides, a motif dear to Bernini from the beginning of his career. These two figures are magnificent and at the same time light because of the wide looseness of their robes, the affected grace of their attitudes and the expressive ecstasy of their faces. The columns that support the dome are of the finest Paonazzo marble, streaked with dark veins. The top table of the altar, where the angel figures and tabernacle rest, is engraved with “Requiem Aeternam Dona Eis Domine” (“Eternal Rest Grant Unto Them O Lord”). The next layer of the altar, slightly recessed and all white, is a domed edifice with three pillars on each side. Three smaller angels are among the pillars. The ones on each side have hands crossed over chest and the one in the middle is with hands together in prayer. The dome is topped with the Holy Spirit (a dove figure) in the middle. Sitting at the very top is a brass cross.