The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist is the

mother church Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother in her functions of nourishing and protecting the believer. It may also refer to the primary church of a Christian denomination or diocese, i.e. a cathedral or a metropo ...

of the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

Diocese of Charleston The Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston is an ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Roman Catholic Church in the Southern United States that comprises the entire state of South Carolina. Currently, the diocese consists of 96 parishes an ...

, located in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

. Designed by Brooklyn architect Patrick Keely in the Gothic Revival style, it opened in 1907. The Most Reverend Jacques E. Fabre, the fourteenth Bishop of Charleston, was ordained and installed on May 13, 2022

History

The first brownstone cathedral was built in 1854 and named the

Cathedral of Saint John and Saint Finbar The Cathedral of St. John and St. Finbar was the first Roman Catholic cathedral in Charleston, South Carolina. The cathedral followed the first Roman Catholic Church in Charleston, St. Mary's, founded around 1800. Construction began in 1850 with ...

. It burned in a great fire in December 1861. The rebuilt cathedral was named for St. John the Baptist and was constructed on the foundations of the earlier structure. Architect Patrick Keely designed both the original cathedral and its replacement. The cornerstone was laid in 1890 by

James Cardinal Gibbons James Cardinal Gibbons (July 23, 1834 – March 24, 1921) was a senior-ranking American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Apostolic Vicar of North Carolina from 1868 to 1872, Bishop of Richmond from 1872 to 1877, and as ninth ...

of Baltimore, and the church opened in 1907. The cathedral seats 720 people and is noted for its Franz Mayer & Co. stained glass, hand–painted

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The station ...

, and

neo-gothic architecture Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

. The lower church includes a crypt where Bishop England (with his sister, Joanna) and four other Charleston bishops are buried. The spire was not built at the time due to the lack of funds during the construction of the cathedral and its numerous renovations. The church was finally completed on March 25, 2010, with the addition of the steeple and bells. The front iron fence to the east, is all that remains of the 1815 St. Andrews Society Hall, which also burned in 1861.

Architecture

P.C. Keely designed the cathedral in the

Gothic Revival style Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

; it is constructed of Connecticut

brownstone Brownstone is a brown Triassic–Jurassic sandstone that was historically a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States and Canada to refer to a townhouse clad in this or any other aesthetically similar material. Type ...

."History", The Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist
/ref> The pews are of carved Flemish oak. The plans for the reconstruction were along the lines of the original, but D.C. Barbot made some changes too.

Chapels

*Sacred Heart – The chapel is situated just to the left of the

cathedra A ''cathedra'' is the raised throne of a bishop in the early Christian basilica. When used with this meaning, it may also be called the bishop's throne. With time, the related term ''cathedral'' became synonymous with the "seat", or principal ...

. It originally served as the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, reflecting the fact that in certain Masses prior to 1968, when the bishop sat in front of the altar, the Blessed Sacrament was removed to this altar so that he would not have his back to the reserved Sacrament. It contains seven windows depicting symbols related to the

Eucharist The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was institu ...

. In 2008, it briefly became the Chapel of Saint Paul for the ''Year of Saint Paul''. Then in 2009, it became the Sacred Heart Chapel, housing an early 1900s statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus with hands extended in blessing. *Blessed Virgin Mary – The altar in this chapel is adorned with an Italian Marble statue of the

Madonna and Child In art, a Madonna () is a representation of Mary, either alone or with her child Jesus. These images are central icons for both the Catholic and Orthodox churches. The word is (archaic). The Madonna and Child type is very prevalent i ...

, sculpted by the German artist

Ferdinand Pettrich Friedrich August Ferdinand Pettrich (1798 – 14 February 1872) was a German sculptor active in Germany, Brazil, the United States, and Italy. He was an internationally famous portrait sculptor who created busts of political figures in Washingto ...

. The statue is considered unique as it depicts Mary without a head covering, holding the child Jesus as a toddler. It is sometimes referred to as Our Lady of the South or Our Lady of the Confederacy (though not officially) having been purchased by Bishop Lynch, the Confederate Ambassador to the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

and third Bishop of Charleston. The chapel is adorned with seven windows depicting symbols related to Mary, Mother of God, and one floral design window completely obscured by the altar. *Our Lady of Grace – The main lower chapel used for daily Masses. The chapel is adorned on one side with eight stained-glass windows removed from the former Immaculate Conception Church in Charleston. It originally had 20 windows from the church, but 12 were removed for various reasons over the years. *Saint John the Baptist Crypt Chapel – The resting place of the first five bishops of Charleston and Joanna Monica England, sister of the first Bishop of Charleston, John England. The bishops vest here for Holy Mass. The chapel contains one altar with a custom hand painted altarpiece depicting St. John the Baptist over the

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

landscape holding a lamb with two adoring angels, one holding a crosier and the other the diocesan coat of arms. In this chapel is a

niche Niche may refer to: Science *Developmental niche, a concept for understanding the cultural context of child development * Ecological niche, a term describing the relational position of an organism's species *Niche differentiation, in ecology, the ...

holding a statue of St. Joseph and the child

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and relig ...

. The crypt chapel is adorned with windows made from pieces of windows recovered from that were removed from Immaculate Conception Church.

Windows

The cathedral is noted for its Franz Mayer & Co. stained-glass windows. It has a couple of one-of-a-kind windows. *The three sets of doors are all surmounted by rose windows that are of a unique design (the design is only known to be used by Patrick Keely). Each window has a coat of arms in its center. **The Main Doors – Bishop Northop's coat of arms **The East Doors – the State of

's coat of arms **The West Doors –

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of ...

's coat of arms *The large Life of Christ windows adorn the sides of the lower nave. *The windows in the upper nave are known as the Gallery of the Saints. They depict 28 saints. *The clerestory in the Sanctuary is adorned with windows depicting the four evangelists. Above the High Altar is the Chancel window. The top section is a rose window depicting St. John the Baptist baptizing Jesus with the Holy Spirit above. It is surrounded by wight adoring angels playing instruments. Above the Rose window is a

Sacred Heart The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus ( la, Cor Jesu Sacratissimum) is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This dev ...

. To the left of the Rose window is a

pelican Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before ...

feeding her three newborn pelicans, and to the right is the

Lamb of God Lamb of God ( el, Ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, Amnòs toû Theoû; la, Agnus Dei, ) is a title for Jesus that appears in the Gospel of John. It appears at John 1:29, where John the Baptist sees Jesus and exclaims, "Behold the Lamb of God wh ...

. Below all of this is a five-light replica of

Da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested on h ...

Last Supper Image:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg, 400px, alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci - Clickable Image, Depictions of the Last Supper in Christian art have been undertaken by artistic masters for centuries, ...

Organ

Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist - Charleston 03

* The Upper Church Organ is a Bedient Pipe Organ, Opus 22, mechanical action instrument with two manuals, 26 stops and 32 ranks. It was originally installed in Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral,

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

in 1986. Maker Gene Bedient reinstalled the instrument in the cathedral in 1995. This replaced Opus 139 by the Ernest M. Skinner Co. installed in 1903.

Renovations

In 2007, Bishop Robert J. Baker and Cathedral Rector Rev. Msgr. Joseph Roth announced plans to renovate and complete the cathedral nearly one-hundred years after it opened. The stained-glass windows were refurbished in December 2007. The brownstone has been refurbished, the mortar has been replaced and, after 103 years of waiting, a spire with three bells now tops the cathedral. A $6.2 million contract for restoration and the steeple addition was completed on March 25, 2010. In 2019, interior renovations began by Conrad Schmitt Studios.

Cathedral clergy

Bishops

*The Most Reverend Robert E. Guglielmone, D.D., Bishop of Charleston

Rectors of the cathedral

*Reverend Monsignor Budds *Reverend Monsignor Charles Rowland, P.A. *Reverend Monsignor Samuel Miglarese (unknown-1998) *Reverend Monsignor Chester M. Moczydlowski (1998–2001) *Reverend Monsignor Joseph R. Roth, P.A. (2001–2008) *Reverend Father Gregory B. Wilson (2008–2011) *Reverend Monsignor Steven L. Brovey (2011–2022) *Reverend Monsignor D. Anthony Droze (2022–present)

Spire and bell tower

The cathedral with its new spire is the seventh tallest building in the city. The spire is covered in

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pink ...

lattice and is topped with a 16x9 foot gilded copper

Celtic cross The Celtic cross is a form of Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring that emerged in Ireland, France and Great Britain in the Early Middle Ages. A type of ringed cross, it became widespread through its use in the stone high crosses e ...

. The arches below were fabricated from a special

fiberglass Fiberglass ( American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cl ...

used in ship building, which was then clad in copper. The

arch An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vau ...

es are decorated by brown cast stone

pinnacle A pinnacle is an architectural element originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire. It was mainly ...

s on each corner. The belfry section is also constructed of brown cast stone. It has copper louvers. The new spire was designed by Glenn Keyes Architects using a sketch of the steeple from the original 1851 building.

Bells

Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist - Charleston 01

The bells were placed in the cathedral tower on November 16, 2009. Together the three

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids suc ...

bells form an

E major E major (or the key of E) is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps. Its relative minor is C-sharp minor and its parallel minor is E minor. Its enharmonic equiva ...

chord. These bells were cast by Christoph Paccard Bell Foundries in France and blessed by Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone on October 15, 2009. *Saint Therese **Note:B-3 **Inscription: Revelation 5:12 *Saint Finbar **Note:G#-3 **Inscription: Psalm 104:33 *Maria Stella Maris ''(

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

:Mary, Star of the Sea)'' **Note:E-3 **Inscription: Psalm 95:1

Music

Director of Music

*Director of Music and Organist (1950–1991): Virginia Sturken *Director of Music (1991–2000): Bill Schlitt *Director of Music and Principal Organist (2000–2009):

Mark Thomas Mark Clifford Thomas (born 11 April 1963) is an English comedian, presenter, political satirist, and journalist. He first became known as a guest comic on the BBC Radio 1 comedy show '' The Mary Whitehouse Experience'' in the late 1980s. He is ...

*Organist and Choirmaster (May 2010 – 2014):

Scott Turkington Scott Turkington is the organist and choirmaster for Holy Family Catholic Church in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. A native of Minneapolis, he studied music at the University of Minnesota, the Boston Conservatory of Music and The Catholic University ...

*Organist and Choirmaster (2014 – January 2019): Daniel Sansone *Director of Sacred Music (2019 to present): Scott Powell

Choirs

*The Cathedral Choir – principal choir

References

External links

Official Cathedral Site

Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston Official Site

The Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist Choirs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cathedral Of Saint John The Baptist (Charleston, South Carolina) Religious organizations established in 1800 Roman Catholic churches completed in 1907 John the Baptist (Charleston), Cathedral of Saint Churches in Charleston, South Carolina Patrick Keely buildings Roman Catholic churches in South Carolina Gothic Revival church buildings in South Carolina 1800 establishments in South Carolina Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States