St. Francis de Sales Roman Catholic Church
- Architect
- Henry D. Dagit
- Year
- 1907
- Style
- Byzantine
- City
- Philadelphia, PA
St. Francis de Sales Roman Catholic Church has anchored University City since its parish was founded in 1890 to serve the neighborhood's Irish immigrant community. Its cornerstone was laid in 1907 for a Byzantine Revival design by Philadelphia architect Henry D. Dagit, built around a Guastavino tile dome modeled on Istanbul's Hagia Sophia.
the building
The Guastavino dome. The dome is built of Guastavino tile, the thin, self-supporting terracotta vaulting system, and takes its form directly from Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, an unusual reference for a Philadelphia parish church and the building's most visible feature from the street.
the style
Dagit built the church in the Byzantine Revival style, pairing the Hagia Sophia-derived dome with Arts and Crafts detailing that was at the peak of its popularity when construction was underway.
More on Byzantinethe architect
Henry D. Dagit was a Philadelphia architect known for Catholic church commissions; St. Francis de Sales, with its cornerstone laid in 1907, is among his notable Byzantine Revival designs.
nearby
- Woodland Terrace
- Paul Robeson House
- Richards Medical Research Laboratories
- Institute of the Pennsylvania Hospital
- Protestant Episcopal Church of the Saviour
- St. Anthony Hall House