St. Michael's Anglican Church (formerly St. Michael's Episcopal Church) is a historic church and the oldest surviving religious structure in Charleston,

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

. It is located at Broad and Meeting streets on one of the Four Corners of Law, and represents

ecclesiastical law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...

. It was built in the 1750s by order of the South Carolina Assembly. It is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

and is a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

History

St. Michael's Church was built between 1751 and 1761 at the corner of Broad and Meeting streets on the site of the original wooden church built in 1681 by St. Philip's Church, It had been damaged in a hurricane in 1710 and a new St. Philip's Church was built several blocks away on Church Street. In 1727, what was left of the old wooden church was demolished. During his 1791 visit to the city, President

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

worshipped in pew no. 43 of the church.

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a general officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War, who was appointed the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate ...

also worshipped here. It is not known who designed St. Michael's, but it shows the influence of

St Martin-in-the-Fields St Martin-in-the-Fields is a Church of England parish church at the north-east corner of Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, London. Dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, there has been a church on the site since at least the medieval pe ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, designed in the 1720s by James Gibbs. Samuel Cardy was the builder. The walls are of brick that was stuccoed over and painted white. The two-story

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...

facing Broad Street was the first of its size in colonial America and features Tuscan

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member ...

s. Between 1754 and 1760, £1000 worth of architectural carving was done by Charleston artisan Henry Burnett, including

ovolo Ovolo is an Italian language, Italian word that means "little egg". The ovolo or echinus is a convex molding (decorative), decorative molding profile used in Ornament (architecture), architectural ornamentation. Its profile is a quarter to a half ...

moldings, seventy-two

modillion A modillion is an ornate bracket, more horizontal in shape and less imposing than a corbel. They are often seen underneath a Cornice (architecture), cornice which helps to support them. Modillions are more elaborate than dentils (literally transl ...

s for a Corinthian

entablature An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...

for the facade, fifty-four double flowers for the portico, and a large “foliage flower” in the center of the ceiling. An organ by John Snetzler was fitted in 1768 but only the case remains; new organ 1994 by Kenneth Jones of Bray, Ireland. In the north wall is a stained glass window that was given to the church in 1898 as a memorial to Mrs. E.A. Simons. The design of the window is a copy of "Easter Morning" using between 1800 and 2000 pieces in the six by ten foot window. It was created by Louis Lederlie for Tiffany Studios. Louis Tiffany spent two months on the decorative panels and dome of the chancel in 1905. Another stained glass window is located in the chancel and depicts St. Michael conquering Satan; it is based on a work in the Louvre by Raphael. The window was made in New York and installed in 1893. The location had originally been a window, but the opening was enclosed in 1788 to prevent the spread of fires from adjacent buildings. In 1865, the wall was damaged by shelling during the Civil War, and the location of the window became apparent. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961, and it was included in the first promulgation of the National Register in 1966. St. Michael's Churchyard, adjacent to the church, is the resting place of some famous historical figures, including two signers of the U.S. Constitution.

Religious affiliation

St. Michael's was originally affiliated with the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

. Following the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

the church came under the jurisdiction of what is now the Episcopal Church of the United States. Currently it is a parish church of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina. In 2012 long simmering disagreements over doctrine and church discipline caused the Episcopal Diocese of SC to disaffiliate from the Episcopal Church, over time becoming known as the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina. In June 2017 the diocese, and by extension St. Michael's, were received into the

Anglican Church in North America The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) is a Christian denomination in the Anglican tradition in the United States and Canada. It also includes ten congregations in Mexico, two mission churches in Guatemala, and a missionary diocese in Cuba. ...

. The parish continues to worship according to Anglican rites and traditions.

Clock and bells

The church houses a clock and change ringing bells dating from colonial times. The tower clock, which strikes the hours and quarters, was made by Aynsworth Thwaites Thwaites & Reed. The tower bells are one of four sets ( Grace Church Cathedral – Episcopal, The Cathedral Church of Saint Luke and Saint Paul, and Stella Maris Catholic church) in the Charleston area. The bells were cast in 1764 by Lester and Pack of London and recast in 1866 (in London again). One bell was returned to London in 1870 to be recast at the expense of Charleston.

Gallery

St. Michael's Episcopal Church,c. 1887-1896.PNG, The perspective in this full front view taken between 1886 and 1896 is no longer possible because of the construction of the post office across Meeting Street from the church. The Rector's Kitchen Alice Ravenel Huger Smith.jpg, ''The Rector's Kitchen and View of St. Michael's'', Alice Ravenel Huger Smith, c. 1910–1915 St. Michael's Episcopal Church, Charleston, South Carolina (1919).jpg, 1919 St. Michael's Episcopal Church, 80 Meeting Street, Charleston (Charleston County, South Carolina).jpg, St. Michael's Church St. Michael's graveyard, Charleston, SC IMG 4574.JPG, Graveyard; among those interred is jurist

John Rutledge John Rutledge Jr. (September 17, 1739 – June 21, 1800) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father, politician, and jurist who served as one of the original Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States ...

References

External links

*
Saint Michael's Episcopal Church, Charleston County (80 Meeting St., Charleston)
including four photos, at South Carolina Department of Archives and History *
site historyNational Historic Landmarks Program listing for Saint Michael's Episcopal ChurchHistoric Charleston's Religious and Community Buildings, a National Park Service ''Discover Our Shared Heritage'' Travel Itinerary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Michael's Anglican Church, Charleston National Historic Landmarks in South Carolina Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina Historic American Buildings Survey in South Carolina Churches in Charleston, South Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Charleston, South Carolina 18th-century Episcopal church buildings Anglican churches in South Carolina Colonial South Carolina English-American culture in South Carolina Historic district contributing properties in South Carolina Anglican Church in North America church buildings in the United States Former Episcopal church buildings in South Carolina Anglican realignment congregations 18th-century Anglican church buildings in the United States