A Walk Through Charleston's Churches

During Our FYE class on February 10, 2020 our class walked around historic Charleston and explored the many churches it has to offer. While we were walking, we were tasked with choosing our favorite sites. We went to churches of all denominations ranging from Catholic to Lutheran to Episcopalian. In this blog post I am going to showcase a few of my favorites from the visit.

The magnificent Second Presbyterian Church

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The Second Presbyterian Church at 342 Meeting Street was founded in 1809. The Presbyterian denomination was formed as dissenters from the Church of England and the community in Charleston consisted of English, Irish, Scottish, French Huguenots and Independent Presbyterians and worshiped together in the White Meeting House.

In 1731, twelve families withdrew from the Meeting House and established the First Presbyterian Church modeled completely after the Church of Scotland. The Church grew rapidly and soon there was a need for a Second Presbyterian Church. The Second Presbyterian Church of Charleston is the oldest edifice of the denomination in Charleston.

The Second Presbyterian Church was built on land donated the Wragg family and designed by James and John Gordan in Classic Revival Architectural style. The building is hard to miss with beautiful fanlight windows, dominating columns, and an incredible tower above. I have this Church on my list of favorites because I found the almost completely white structure simple and powerful. I really liked the entryway to the Church as it felt like you were walking to a grand build up of the structure. The Church is secluded in Wragg Square and includes benches and places to relax and walk which I thought was refreshing in the busy packed in city. 

St. Michael's Church at night during class

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St. Michael's Church located at 142 Church Street immediately stuck out to me because it is an Episcopal Congregation. I was raised and baptized Episcopalian and although I am not an active practicer of the faith, I still consider the church close to my heart. The first stone to the Church was laid in 1751 and construction was complete by 1761. Besides the addition of the sacristy in 1883, the original structure remains mostly unchanged. The large steeple atop the Church is one of the tallest points in Charleston at 186 feet high with a 7 1/2 foot weather vain.

The architect of the Church is unknown however the building is constructed in a similar style tradition of Sir Christopher Wren which was used during the Colonial period all the way through Gothic revival in 1841. The Church has several distinguishing features such as the clock tower and ringing bells which is thought to be the oldest functioning colonial clock tower in the country. Also sticking out to me were the beautiful stained glass windows. I chose to add this Church to my favorites list because of its special place in my personal religious history. 

The front of St. Mary's Catholic Church
including its distinguishing cross.

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The next Church on my list of favorites is St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church at 89 Hasell Street. The St. Mary's Roman Catholic stands out with its Greek revival style architecture completed in 1839. I was unable to find the architect of the structure. 

One of the incredibly unique and infamous parts of the Church is a portrait of St. Peter with six toes on his right foot. This painting is one of the twenty three painting adorning the walls painted by Caesare Porta of Rome. The Church's entrance is dominated by columns and an intricate wrought iron gate.

The Church, although slightly more simply done than my previous two favorites, includes a wooden cross facing the street on the roof. This feature although simple is my favorite part of the exterior. I chose this Church because of the unique simplicity. Catholics are known for their grandeur and I thought that this Church was different in its dedication to faith. 

The grand entrance to the French Huguenot Church

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If you have ever been to Charleston then the French Huguenot Church at 136 Church Street is a must see. This church is so close to the top of my list because of its vibrant and decadent exterior. The structure is framed by two palm trees at the front and I can only describe it as castle like. The French Huguenots came to Charleston as a group of 45 French protestants aboard the ship Richmond. The original Church was constructed in 1687 but was destroyed by fire. The current Gothic Revival structure was designed by Edward Brickell White and dedicated in 1845.

The Church also boasts a tracker organ that was almost lost when federal soldiers dismantled it after the fall of Charleston in 1865. However, the organ was saved by the pleas of organist, Mr. T.P. O’Neale, and some influential friends. The organ is in shape of a Gothic chapel with keys connected with the pipe valves by a wooden “tracker’ or mechanical linkage which responds to the organists touch faster than any modern mechanism allows. It was built by the leading American organ builder of the first half of the nineteenth century, Henry Erben.  I loved large frontal facing windows and the stunning wooden door. My favorite feature on this Church was the breathtaking color.

The front facade of the Circular Congregational Church

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Closing out my list I have the Circular Congregational Church at 150 Meeting Street as my number one favorite. The current Circular Congregational Church was built in 1892 designed by Stephenson and Greene of New York City and inspired by Henry Hobart Richardson. It has quite a colorful history. 

The current building is done in Romanesque style which was quite modern for 1890. The Church has an adjoining churchyard which is the oldest burial ground in the city. It is because of the original meeting house at this location that Meeting Street gets its name. The old circular Church structure was ravaged by fire in 1861 and had to be rebuilt, creating the current standing building. 

I chose this Church as my favorite because it is so uncommon looking. The different building style has made it so famous that I knew the name of this Church long before coming to school in Charleston. This church is also among the oldest that we saw on our walk and I found the history of it to be alluring.