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St. Philip's Episcopal Church (Charleston, South Carolina)
Encyclopedia
St. Philip's Episcopal Church is an historic Episcopal
church in the French Quarter neighborhood of Charleston
, South Carolina
. Its National Historic Landmark description states: "Built in 1836 (spire completed in 1850), this stuccoed brick church features an imposing tower designed in the Wren
-Gibbs
tradition. Three Tuscan
pedimented porticoes contribute to this design to make a building of the highest quality and sophistication." On November 7, 1973, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
and designated a National Historic Landmark
.
St. Philip's is still an active parish in the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina
.
. It was damaged in a hurricane in 1710 and a new St. Phillip's Church was begun a few blocks away on Church Street. After being delayed it was finished in 1723 but burned to the ground in 1835. Work on the present church was begun that same year and completed the next. The steeple was added between 1848 and 1850.
A prominent early rector of St. Philip's was Rev. Thomas Frost, a fellow of Caius College, Cambridge, who became rector of St. Philip's in 1785. Rev. Frost died in 1804 at 46 years of age. Rev. Thomas Downes Frost, son of the first rector Frost, was elected assistant minister of St. Philip's on March 12, 1815. The second Rev. Frost died an early death at age 26 in 1819.
The wife of another early rector, Gideon Johnston, was Henrietta Johnston
, who became the first recorded female artist in the American colonies. Another artistic first with connections to the church was Mary Roberts
, the first female American miniaturist, whose burial was recorded in the register in 1761.
The tower of St. Philip's served for many years as the rear tower of a set of range lighthouses serving to guide mariners into Charleston's harbor; the front tower of the range was located on Fort Sumter
. The church is one of only two in the United States known to have served such a function.
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
church in the French Quarter neighborhood of Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. Its National Historic Landmark description states: "Built in 1836 (spire completed in 1850), this stuccoed brick church features an imposing tower designed in the Wren
Christopher Wren
Sir Christopher Wren FRS is one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history.He used to be accorded responsibility for rebuilding 51 churches in the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666, including his masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral, on Ludgate Hill, completed in 1710...
-Gibbs
James Gibbs
James Gibbs was one of Britain's most influential architects. Born in Scotland, he trained as an architect in Rome, and practised mainly in England...
tradition. Three Tuscan
Tuscan order
Among canon of classical orders of classical architecture, the Tuscan order's place is due to the influence of the Italian Sebastiano Serlio, who meticulously described the five orders including a "Tuscan order", "the solidest and least ornate", in his fourth book of Regole generalii di...
pedimented porticoes contribute to this design to make a building of the highest quality and sophistication." On November 7, 1973, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
and designated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
.
St. Philip's is still an active parish in the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina
Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina
The Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America covering an area of 24 counties in the eastern part of the state of South Carolina. Its see city is Charleston, home to the Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul and Diocesan House. There are...
.
History
Established in 1681, St. Philip's is the oldest religious congregation in South Carolina. The first St. Philip's Church, a wooden building, was built between 1680 and 1681 at the corner of Broad and Meeting streets on the present day site of St. Michael's Episcopal ChurchSt. Michael's Episcopal Church (Charleston, South Carolina)
St. Michael's Episcopal Church is an historic Episcopal church and the oldest surviving religious structure in Charleston, South Carolina. It is located at Broad and Meeting streets on one of the Four Corners of the Law, and represents ecclesiastical law. It was built in the 1750s by order of the...
. It was damaged in a hurricane in 1710 and a new St. Phillip's Church was begun a few blocks away on Church Street. After being delayed it was finished in 1723 but burned to the ground in 1835. Work on the present church was begun that same year and completed the next. The steeple was added between 1848 and 1850.
A prominent early rector of St. Philip's was Rev. Thomas Frost, a fellow of Caius College, Cambridge, who became rector of St. Philip's in 1785. Rev. Frost died in 1804 at 46 years of age. Rev. Thomas Downes Frost, son of the first rector Frost, was elected assistant minister of St. Philip's on March 12, 1815. The second Rev. Frost died an early death at age 26 in 1819.
The wife of another early rector, Gideon Johnston, was Henrietta Johnston
Henrietta Johnston
Henrietta de Beaulieu Dering Johnston was a pastelist of uncertain origin active in the English colonies in North America from approximately 1708 until her death...
, who became the first recorded female artist in the American colonies. Another artistic first with connections to the church was Mary Roberts
Mary Roberts (painter)
Mary Roberts was an American miniaturist active in Charleston, South Carolina in the 1740s and 1750s. One of the earliest American miniaturists, and the first woman recorded as working in the medium in the American colonies, she is also believed to have painted the first watercolor-on-ivory...
, the first female American miniaturist, whose burial was recorded in the register in 1761.
The tower of St. Philip's served for many years as the rear tower of a set of range lighthouses serving to guide mariners into Charleston's harbor; the front tower of the range was located on Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter is a Third System masonry coastal fortification located in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. The fort is best known as the site upon which the shots initiating the American Civil War were fired, at the Battle of Fort Sumter.- Construction :...
. The church is one of only two in the United States known to have served such a function.
See also
- List of Registered Historic Places in South Carolina
- List of National Historic Landmarks in South Carolina
- St. Philip's Episcopal ChurchSt. Philip's Episcopal Church-United States:* St. Philip's Episcopal Church , listed on the NRHP in Alaska* St. Philip's in the Hills Episcopal Church, Tucson, Arizona* St. Philip's Episcopal Church , listed on the NRHP in Kentucky...
External links
- St. Philip's Episcopal Church website
- St. Philip's Episcopal Church history
- St. Philip's Episcopal Church, Charleston County (146 Church St., Charleston), including 9 photos, at South Carolina Department of Archives and History
- St. Philip's Protestant Episcopal Church, 146 Church Street, Charleston, Charleston County, SC: 45 photos and 3 data pages, at Historic American Building Survey
- National Historic Landmarks Program listing for St. Philip's Episcopal Church
- National Register listings for Charleston County
- Historic Charleston's Religious and Community Buildings, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary