While Americans are losing interest in religion and more churches close every year, religious structures from as far back as the 16th century have stood the test of time. It’s tough to choose our favorites, but here are the 12 oldest churches in the US today.
Holy Trinity Church, 1698
The Holy Trinity Church is an Episcopal church built in 17th-century Wilmington, Delaware. Popularly called the “Old Swedes,” the Swedish government erected the church and is currently the oldest Swedish church in the US. It’s one of the oldest church buildings still in use today.
Grace Church, 1697
Located in Yorktown, Virginia, Grace Church is an Episcopal church that was attended by some of the Declaration of Independence’s founding fathers and signers. It was formerly known as the York-Hampton Parish Church and entered the NPS’ National Register of Historic Places in 1970.
Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow, 1697
The Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow is a Dutch Reformed Church in New York that doubles as a cemetery. Believe it or not, the first governor of the state, George Clinton, is buried there! It’s the oldest church in New York, as the lord of Philipsburg Manor started building it in 1985.
St. Luke’s Church, 1682
Established to be Anglican, this church in Smithfield, Virginia, turned Episcopal-denominated after the American Revolution and eventually became non-denominational. Today, it doesn’t have a congregation and stands as an NPS National Historic Landmark—considered interesting for its combination of Roman, Gothic, and Jacobean architectural details.
Old Ship Church, 1681
The Old Ship Church is a Puritan church built by colonists in Hingham, Massachusetts, that stands as the only surviving Puritan meeting house from the 17th century. A Unitarian Universalist congregation currently uses it, and ancestry members of President Abraham Lincoln’s family are buried at the Old Ship’s cemetery.
Old Trinity Church, 1671
Located in Church Creek, Maryland, the Old Trinity Church is the oldest Episcopal church in the US, built to serve a small congregation of English settlers. Since then, it has gone through a series of architectural updates—first transformed to Gothic-style architecture in 1853 and then reverted to its original colonial style in 1960.
Church of Saint Blaise of Illescas, 1661
While technically not in the US, The Church of Saint Blaise of Illescas is a Roman Catholic church in Coamo that’s considered a thematic member of the Historic Churches of Puerto Rico. The church is one of the oldest structures on the island, and it went through major reconstruction in 1784.
San Estevan Del Rey Mission Church, 1649
San Estevan Del Rey Mission Church is a Roman Catholic church built by Spanish Franciscan monks in Acoman, New Mexico. It’s a raw-looking church made from adobe bricks that currently has no congregation, only serving as a tourist attraction today.
Jamestown Church, 1647
The Jamestown Church is an Anglican church in Jamestown, Virginia, with parts dating all the way back to 1617. The church’s first structure burned down in 1618, and the building of the permanent structure that stands today started in 1639. Only the tiles and foundations of the first 1617 structure remain.
San Miguel Mission, 1626
The San Miguel Mission is the LOC’s oldest church in the US. However, technically, it’s only the oldest in the continental US, behind two Puerto Rican churches. It’s a Roman Catholic church in Santa Fe, New Mexico, built by Tlaxcalan Indians from Mexico. It originally featured adobe bricks.
Porta Coeli Church, 1609
The Porta Coeli Church is a Roman Catholic church in San Germán, Puerto Rico, which the Department of Interior says was built by the Dominican friars. With “Porta Coeli,” meaning “Gate to Heaven,” the church now stands as a museum after its restoration by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture in 1960.
Cathedral of San Juan Bautista, 1521
Finally, the oldest church in US territory is once again in Puerto Rico; it’s the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista, a Roman Catholic church erected three decades after the Spanish arrived in New World America. The church was originally constructed with wood, destroyed in a Hurricane, and rebuilt in 1540 as a stone cathedral.
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