corsica

Hello,
We did a quick trip to DC and
were fascinated by the national
cathedral and the shrine.

I was wondering if we would find
similar architectures/interiors
in Charleston SC.

I've never been to Charleston so just curious.

Thanks!!

GoTravel

Well....Charleston ain't called The Holy City for no reason!

You will find hundreds and hundreds of houses of worship in Charleson some dating back over 300 years old.

Charleston at one time had the largest Jewish population in the United States so check out the Jewish Temples.

LoveItaly

Hello corsica, since you are planning on going to Charleston you might be interested in reading the historical novel by John Jakes titled "Charleston". I happen to come across it before my first visit to Charleston this last April. It really added to the interest of this beautiful city.

One church that played an important role of Charleston's history is St Michaels Church. It is on Broad St. I believe, right in the historical area. When you see it and its bright white steeple imagine it being painted black. That was done so the English could not see it and shoot canons at it from their ships during the war.

We tried to see one the lovely historical Jewish Synagogues but unfortuantly it was closed and locked up. Charleston is truly a beautiful city of visit. I hope you are able to go there.

dan_woodlief

Well, the national cathedral is a more spectacular type of architecture than you will find in Charleston, but the churches are quite interesting. Don't neglect the cemeteries either.

travelgirl_67

As dan_woodlief mentioned, the National Cathedral is amazing and Charleston¡¦s houses of worship will not be as grande in size but most definitely spectacular in their own right. As GoTravel said, we ¡§ain¡¦t called the Holy City for nothing¡¨¡Kthere are hundreds of houses of worship here. When Charleston was founded, we welcomed everyone of every religion not because of religious freedom but because we wanted their money but a nice byproduct Charleston became a very religiously tolerant city. Here just a few of my favorites:

St. Michael¡¦s is a beautiful church and played an important role in Charleston¡¦s history. The church is at the corner of Meeting and Broad streets. The bells of St. Michael¡¦s were actually taken down and sent to Columbia during the Civil War to keep them safe from Sherman but unfortunately for Columbia, Sherman headed there instead of Charleston. The bells were sent back to England after the war to be recast and have been hanging in the steeple ever since. Check out the church¡¦s site at http://www.stmichaelschurch.net/. The church is open daily.

Another of my favorite churches is St. Philip¡¦s on Church and Cumberland. I find it to be more beautiful than St. Michael¡¦s. Most definitely check out their cemetery¡Kamong the famous people buried there is John C. Calhoun. Check out the church¡¦s site at http://www.stphilipschurchsc.org/spce/welcome. The church is open daily.

As mentioned, Charleston at one time had the country¡¦s largest Jewish population. We still have a large population today and have all 3 synagogues in the city. Charleston is the birthplace of Reformed Judaism and the synagogue where it began is Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim on Hassel Street. Check out their site at http://www.kkbe.org/. The synagogue is open daily from 10 ¡V 12 with docents to give tours.

Cathedral St John The Baptist at 120 Broad Street is the seat of the Catholic Diocese of South Carolina. This diocese is one of the country¡¦s oldest. The church¡¦s info can be found at the diocese site at http://www.catholic-doc.org/ (we Catholics haven¡¦t caught up with the other houses of worship when it comes to websitesƒº) The cathedral is open daily.

The French Huguenot Church at the corner of Church and Queen. It¡¦s a very simple but lovely church. Check out their site at http://www.frenchhuguenotchurch.org/main.html. The church is open daily.

Enjoy your visit to Charleston!

AuntAnnie

I was in Charleston a few years ago with my Mom and sister. One night as we were strolling to dinner, a group of women were decorating a beautiful old church for a wedding. They beckoned us over and insisted we peek in saying "we have the most beautiful church in Charleston!" We saw the bride practicing her walk down the aisle, the bell-ringers making their music and were charmed off our feet. (as we were many times in that wonderful city) You won't find a grand cathedral but you will find old, historic churches and southern hospitality!

cmcfong

ttt for those interested in Charleston travel this month.