2. Yarmouth New Church

Tour the Villages
Yarmouth Port

Yarmouth New Church, Swedenborgian

Directly across from the Yarmouth Port Common is the beautiful old "New Church" or Church of the New Jerusalem. Also called Swedenborgianism, the faith of the congregation is based on the teachings of the 18th century Swedish philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg. Swedenborg's teachings first became known in Yarmouth in the 1820s and in 1843 a "Yarmouth Society for the New Jerusalem" was founded. Meeting for many years in various homes, halls, and stores, the congregation finally realized the dream of their own church in 1870 with the building of this imposing structure. Designed by noted Boston architect Samuel F. Thayer, the interior of the church features elaborate frescoes, gleaming wood, and a tracker organ. Because of the relative obscurity of the religion the congregation could not continue to support a church program into the twentieth century. Summer services only are now held here. Fortunately, however, the church building is today under the auspices of the Yarmouth New Church Preservation Foundation, a non-profit group founded to restore the church and use it for the benefit of the community. The building, breathtaking in its original pristine state, is well into the restoration projects needed. The bell tower has been restored, the stained glass windows cleaned and releaded, and through a Community Preservation grant in 2007, a new cedar shingle roof was added.