News & Notes
Moravian Church Settlements–Bethlehem on UNESCO World Heritage List
The Second Single Brethren’s House on South Campus is part of the Moravian Church Settlements.
By ??, Photography by Nick Chismar, Fall 2024
July 26, 2024, was a particularly great day to be a Hound.
In case you were basking at the beach that day, Moravian University joined a very exclusive, highly prestigious club whose members include such world-famous icons as Independence Hall, the Statue of Liberty, the Taj Mahal, and the Great Barrier Reef.
Moravian Church Settlements–Bethlehem, which includes two university properties, became the 26th UNESCO World Heritage site located in the United States. Along with two other historic Moravian settlements—Gracehill, Northern Ireland, and Herrnhut, Germany—Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, joined Christiansfeld, Denmark (inscribed to the World Heritage List in 2015), as a single World Heritage site encompassing the four locations. The designation honors the worldwide influence of the Moravian Church. The new site was inscribed on the list at the World Heritage Convention in New Delhi, India, at a ceremony attended by a Bethlehem contingent including Mayor and Moravian graduate J. William Reynolds, Moravian University President Bryon L. Grigsby, and Moravian Bishop Rt. Rev. Chris Giesler.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) began honoring landmarks and areas in 1972 to “encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity,” according to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre website.
“Decades of work by Charlene Donchez Mowers, [Curtis] Hank Barnette, and others culminated in this ultimate recognition—the world considers us to be of outstanding value to humanity,” says President Grigsby. “It was an incredible honor to be sitting with our government leaders representing the United States, the City of Bethlehem, and Moravian University at the inscription ceremony.”
Bethlehem’s Moravian Church Settlement locations that are part of the World Heritage site designation span more than 10 acres in North Bethlehem and include the 1741 Gemeinhaus, 1746–49 Bell House, 1744 First Single Brethren’s House (later the Single Sisters’ House), 1752 Single Sisters’ House, 1772 Single Sisters’ House, 1751 Old Chapel, 1748 Second Single Brethren’s House, 1768 Widows’ House, 1803–06 Central Moravian Church, God’s Acre cemetery, Common Grounds, Colonial Industrial Quarter, 1761 Tannery, and 1762 Waterworks.
Our historic venues are a living history and will be used to teach others about the Moravians, their art and architecture, the cradle of industry here in Bethlehem, and the way of life of these incredible people.”
—Craig Larimer, director of community relations and marketing of world heritage, Moravian University
Moravian University owns the 1768 Widows’ House, now used as residences for faculty and staff, and the 1748 Second Single Brethren’s House, home of the university’s music department. The Bethlehem Moravians were organized by communal living groups (known as “choirs”) based on gender and marital status. The single men’s choir lived in the Brethren’s House, while the women of the Witwenchor, or widows’ choir, resided in the Widows’ House. Both are located on West Church Street.
“Education for all is at the heart of the Moravian mission,” says Craig Larimer, director of community relations and marketing of world heritage at Moravian University. “So, Moravian University is leaning in on the legacy of Benigna von Zinzendorf.” (Countess Zinzendorf, daughter of Count Zinzendorf, founded the first boarding school for girls in the colonies in 1742 in Bethlehem. Moravian University is the sixth-oldest college in the United States.) “Our historic venues are a living history and will be used to teach others about the Moravians, their art and architecture, the cradle of industry here in Bethlehem, and the way of life of these incredible people,” Larimer says.
World Heritage designation will preserve the extraordinary history of the Moravian immigrants who founded Bethlehem in 1741, and it is expected to boost cultural tourism in the Lehigh Valley. “This is a celebration of the [Moravian] idea that there’s a place for everyone, we are in this together, and that other people matter,” said Mayor Reynolds in a video address. “Now it’s about what we’re going to do over the next 5, 10, 20, 50 years to honor both our history and those [Moravian] concepts that have made Bethlehem so special.”
The Widow’s House, owned by Moravian University, is used to house some faculty and staff.
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