“The Place You Tread is Holy Ground-”

In this church on July 4, 1779, the first public religious commemoration of the Declaration of Independence was held at Holy Mass, attended by the Continental Congress, the President and official head of the new government, officers of the army and navy, and the French and Spanish ministers. At the close of the Revolution, following the surrender of the British under Cornwallis to Washington at Yorktown, the armies of the Republic and of France joined in a solemn mass of thanksgiving, and the conquered flags of Great Britain were laid upon the altar steps of old Saint Mary Church on November 4, 1781.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · United States