St. Francis de Sales Roman Catholic Church (Philadelphia)

St. Francis de Sales Roman Catholic Church
Basic information
Location	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Affiliation	Roman Catholic Church
Country	United States of America
Website	http://www.saintfrancisdesales.net
Architectural description
Architect(s)	Henry D. Dagit
Architectural style	Byzantine Revival style
Groundbreaking	1907
Direction of façade	South

St. Francis de Sales Roman Catholic Church, founded in 1890, is a Catholic church at 4625 Springfield Avenue in University City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Its cornerstone laid in 1907, the Guastavino tiled dome of the de Sales parish has been an icon in its neighborhood. The de Sales parish was designed by Philadelphia architect Henry D. Dagit, built in the Byzantine Revival style and incorporates a Guastavino tile dome modeled on that of Istanbul's Hagia Sophia and elements of the Arts and Crafts movement which was at its peak when the church was built.

The parish was created to serve the needs of the immigrant Irish community prevalent at the time. The parish has seen its congregation change over the years from the working class Irish immigrant families – who eventually left for the suburbs - to the Vietnamese refugee families who have settled in the neighborhood. The parish currently serves a large African immigrant community, an African American constituency, and the faculty, staff and students of the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, and the University of the Sciences. The parish is known for its choir, elementary school and the church organ.

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