St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church (Charleston, South Carolina)

St. Mary of the Annunciation Roman Catholic Church is the first Roman Catholic parish in the Carolinas and Georgia. The current building at 93 Hasell St. in Charleston, South Carolina, is the third structure to house the congregation on this site.

The property and an old building were purchased in 1789. It was incorporated as the Roman Catholic Church of Charleston by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1791. The first structure was replaced by a brick church that burned in the Charleston fire in 1838.

The church was rebuilt quickly and reopened on June 9, 1839. It is a rectangular building, 84 ft (25.6 m) by 50 ft (15.2 m). It is built of brick with a stucco covering. There are four Doric columns that support a large entablature. The parapet wall at the top of the church was probably constructed around 1896. There are stained glass windows imported from Munich.

The nave has a central aisle and two large rows of pews. There are smaller pews along the side aisles. Above the altar, there is a painting of the Crucifixion by John S. Cogdell. The artist donated this painting to replace an earlier painting he had done in 1814, which was destroyed in the fire. Much of the interior of the church was renovated during a three month renovation in 1884.^[2]

The church graveyard is on each side and to the rear of the church.

In the early 1980s, the neighboring Charleston Place complex was constructed, bordering the church on all sides. It was the only structure preserved on the lot, besides the few storefronts facing Meeting Street which were incorporated in the parking structure.

The St. Mary's Church is on the National Register of Historic Places, No. 76001697. The South Carolina Department of Archives and History has additional pictures and information.^[3] and copies of the nomination forms.^[4] There are additional pictures and information available from the Historic American Buildings Survey at the Library of Congress.^[5]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church (Charleston, South Carolina).

• Saint Mary's website
• Historic Charleston's Religious and Community Buildings, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary

Coordinates: 32°46′54.6″N 79°55′58″W / 32.781833°N 79.93278°W / 32.781833; -79.93278

Diocese of Charleston Bishops Ordinaries John England Ignatius A. Reynolds Patrick Neeson Lynch Henry P. Northrop William Thomas Russell Emmet M. Walsh John Joyce Russell Paul John Hallinan Francis Frederick Reh Ernest Leo Unterkoefler David B. Thompson Robert Joseph Baker Robert E. Guglielmone Churches Cathedral Cathedral of St. John the Baptist Abbey Mepkin Abbey Parishes St. Mary Help of Christians Church, Aiken St. Andrew's Church, Barnwell St. Mary of the Annunciation Church, Charleston St. Peter's Church, Columbia Former cathedral Cathedral of Saint John and Saint Finbar, Charleston Education High Schools Bishop England High School, Charleston Cardinal Newman High School, Forest Acres St. Francis Xavier High School, Sumter St. John Paul II Catholic School, Okatie St. Joseph's Catholic School, Greenville Priests John Barry Joseph Bernardin John James Joseph Monaghan John Moore Miscellany The Catholic Miscellany Catholicism Portal

U.S. National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina Lists by county Abbeville Aiken Allendale Anderson Bamberg Barnwell Beaufort Berkeley Calhoun Charleston Cherokee Chester Chesterfield Clarendon Colleton Darlington Dillon Dorchester Edgefield Fairfield Florence Georgetown Greenville Greenwood Hampton Horry Jasper Kershaw Lancaster Laurens Lee Lexington Marion Marlboro McCormick Newberry Oconee Orangeburg Pickens Richland Saluda Spartanburg Sumter Union Williamsburg York Lists by city Charleston Columbia Greenville North Charleston Rock Hill Other lists Bridges National Historic Landmarks Keeper of the Register History of the National Register of Historic Places Property types Historic district Contributing property