church was renovated in 1963, but many of the earlier features were retained, including an 18th-century baptismal font and the cathedra of Bishop Conwell from 1820, when the church served as the diocesan cathedral. Chandeliers which were originally installed in Independence Hall have also been kept in the renovated building. The façade is of brick in the Gothic style and the interior of the church features a balcony/choir loft which extends around three sides of the building, to either side of the altar in the front. Above the main door, on the exterior wall, in an alcove, is a statue of Mary, after whom the parish is named. Similarly, the ceiling features a fresco of Mary's Assumption and stained glass windows, some reaching a height of two stories. The original architect was Charles Johnson. Education The church's designated parochial grade school is St. Mary Interparochial Grade School. Cemetery The churchyard dates from 1759. Its cemetery was enlarged (by adding an extra layer of soil to the ground level) after the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793. Notable interments Commodore John Barry (1745–1803), father of the American navy Michael Bouvier (1792–1874), cabinetmaker and great-great-grandfather of Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis James Campbell (1812–1893), Postmaster General of the United States Jean Joseph de Barth (1726–1793), Alsatian counselor to Louis XVI of France who led refugees from the French Revolution to America Mathew Carey (1760–1839), publisher and pamphleteer Thomas Fitzsimons (1741–1811), Continental Congressman George Meade (1741–1808), merchant and grandfather of General George Gordon Meade Richard Worsam Meade I (1778–1828), merchant and father of General Meade Richard Worsam Meade II (1807–1870), Navy captain Stephen Moylan (1737–1811), military commander in the American Revolutionary War Manuel Torres (1762–1822), first Colombian ambassador to the United States Philippe Charles Tronson du Coudray (1738–1777), French army officer who volunteered his services to the Continental Army The center of the grave yard collapsed circa 1965 as witnessed by the lawn gardener after a rain. This is based on an eyewitness acct of the teenager who cut the grass, See also List of Catholic cathedrals in the United States List of cathedrals in the United States References External links - Old St. Mary Church & Holy Trinity Church Saint Mary Interparochial School Article at USHistory.org Saint Mary's Catholic Churchyard at Find a Grave 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States Roman Catholic churches in Philadelphia Former cathedrals in the United States Roman Catholic