St. Dominic Catholic Church - Philadelphia, PA
N 40° 02.741 W 075° 01.011
18T E 498562 N 4432827
Gorgeous church with a ridiculously huge cemetery to the right, to the left and to the rear.
Waymark Code: WM9GGK
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 08/18/2010
Views: 3
St. Dominic Church in the Holmesburg section of Philadelphia was established in 1849 through the efforts of Archbishop Francis P. Kenrick, Father John Dominic Berrill, O.P., and a relatively small community of Catholics. Before the first cornerstone of the church building was laid, Mass was held in a “little stone house in the fields.” Thanks to Father Berrill’s untiring solicitation of building funds and the generosity of Catholics and non-Catholics, the new church was completed. (source listed below)
The church were rebuilt in 1896. In 1896, the church was completely destroyed by fire. Reconstruction began almost immediately and by September 13, 1896 a new cornerstone was laid by Archbishop Patrick J. Ryan. The bell tower is topped by a gold cross. The church is on the north side of Frankford Avenue and the belfry and tower are at the southeast corner. The steeple is octagonal with a grey slate tiles/roofing.
I saw the steeple 3/4 mile away as I drove up the hill to the church. The steeple is the tallest thing in Holmesburg. Parking is across the street, in the parking shoulder, Philly style. There is also parking in a nearby shopping center across and down the street a few hundred feet.
The cemetery and its 2,300 grave stones are laid out with military precision, with perfect rows and columns. The stones are all similar, plain, with the minimal amount of memorialism erected for each interment.