Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, was founded as a religious community in the late 19th century by members of a Christian denomination known as the New Church. Just a mile from the Philadelphia border, this small borough is home to some of the area’s most remarkable architecture, buildings that reflect the religious faith and vision of the community’s earliest residents.
The Bryn Athyn Historic District includes three family residences—father John Pitcairn’s Beaux-Arts mansion, Cairnwood, and sons Harold and Raymond’s residences, Cairncrest and Glencairn, respectively—and the renowned Bryn Athyn Cathedral. All were constructed between 1892 and 1938. The Bryn Athyn Historic District was designated as a National Historic Landmark on October 6, 2008.
For up-to-date information about tours and events, please visit the building’s websites: Cairnwood.org, GlencairnMuseum.org, and BrynAthynChurch.org.
If you have questions or would like to schedule a custom tour itinerary in 2024 please email Lisa Parker-Adams at lisa@cairnwood.org. We are looking forward to hosting you in the future!
View a 360-degree tour of the Bryn Athyn Historic District.
TOURS
One of the best ways to explore the Bryn Athyn Historic District is by taking a guided tour.
Christmas in The District
Visit each December to enjoy Christmas tours, teas, and events in the District.
![Archival image of the Bryn Athyn Historic District (date unknown)](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/597cddbce4fcb5137f8ac447/1505223998141-YUIXKMYQI5TUY6LNLDFN/historic+district+archival.jpg)
![Cairnwood Estate at night](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/597cddbce4fcb5137f8ac447/1501599754500-AX5JQMC976P5VB5RHIWW/Cairnwood.John+Costello.jpeg)
![Bryn Athyn Cathedral at night](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/597cddbce4fcb5137f8ac447/1501599754266-DITR7756H9BFD6RSKDFX/landmarks_cathedral+3.jpg)
![Glencairn Museum at dusk](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/597cddbce4fcb5137f8ac447/1501599754048-CK61PS8CXVMC0729PS1I/glencairn-landmarks-2016-from-cathedral-1.jpg)
![Bryn Athyn Cathedral at sunset](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/597cddbce4fcb5137f8ac447/1501600296503-G7B1RYYECHNQ8ILUZV9L/JAS_0228-Recovered-sm.jpg)
![Visitors enjoying a sand mandala at Glencairn Museum](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/597cddbce4fcb5137f8ac447/1501600136734-RTHR85VVIJ8KO2TX1JBJ/2014+Mandala.Jared+Alden.jpg)
![A couple celebrating their wedding at Cairnwood Estate](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/597cddbce4fcb5137f8ac447/1501600195846-K8LNJGW8BGJJC0DR5ALL/Larissa-Cleveland-san-francisco-california-wedding-photographer009.jpg)
![Bryn Athyn Cathedral, from Glencairn Museum's tower](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/597cddbce4fcb5137f8ac447/1501600297542-5MHSLXQPX2QEO6Z4TF6I/Fall+Cathedral.jpg)
![Glencairn Museum's cloister garden and fountain](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/597cddbce4fcb5137f8ac447/1501600125396-PQDJY3LEVWY70UVPGJ1R/Cloister+fountain+by+Kyle+Genzlinger.jpg)
![Bryn Athyn Cathedral](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/597cddbce4fcb5137f8ac447/1501600124995-3G7CA3M64600OIOWKW5R/Catherdral+in+the+Spring.jpg)
![A couple celebrating their wedding at Cairnwood Estate](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/597cddbce4fcb5137f8ac447/1501600202950-6RMAOV1ZB7OGEQUYCZE6/shea_roggio_028.jpg)
![Glencairn Museum's Great Hall (photo: Rusty Kennedy)](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/597cddbce4fcb5137f8ac447/1505223853955-MSUVP7BG2NKPNY839SS0/Rusty+Kennedy.9.13.jpg)
![Bryn Athyn Cathedral](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/597cddbce4fcb5137f8ac447/1501600295352-OB2P292F502SJUXSUW49/Cathedral+Moonrise+in+Fall-25-SC.jpg)
!['The Flight into Egypt', French, 1140-1144 AD. In the collection of Glencairn Museum.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/597cddbce4fcb5137f8ac447/1505223929619-PC7AG03K6RYA3RA732L0/flight+high+res.jpg)
![Visitors to Cairnwood Estate explore the Carriage House](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/597cddbce4fcb5137f8ac447/1505224035035-YW98COIXNX2GYGN43D04/Allure+West+Studio+1+.jpg)