For at least a century, Charleston, South Carolina, has been known as the Holy City.
It’s not that its residents are any more God fearing or devout than the rest of the nation, and it’s not that the folks here are any better behaved than anywhere else either.
Quite simply, if you wander around downtown Charleston, you’ll find churches of various denominations everywhere.
There are many to be found on Charleston’s ‘Museum Mile’ which takes in a large part of the downtown end of Meeting Street, and where you can find at least a dozen churches, and other places of worship.
St Philips Episcopal Church, situated in Church Street, and pictured here to the left, has been a designated National historic Landmark since 1973.
St Mathews German Lutheran Church, which is situated in King Street, next to the Francis Marion Hotel, was practically destroyed in a fire in 1965. The spire came crashing down and lodged itself 18 feet into the ground on the south side of the building’s entrance. There is a commemorative plaque there to mark the spot.
In Charleston, one can also find French Huguenot, and Greek Orthodox churches, as well as a Synagogue.
As well as being places of Worship, and almost all of the many churches downtown are still in regular use; they provide a fascinating insight into the history of Charleston from its founding as an English colony in 1670, up to the present day.
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