My Top Five Favorite Places of Worship You Should See For Yourself!

Have you ever visited ten places of worship in under 2 hours? Last Monday night, my "Beyond the Grave" class and I visited nine local churches and one synagogue in downtown Charleston. Below I have listed my top five favorites out of the ten!

You may notice a pretty prevalent theme in the photos. They're all white (with an exception of the French Huguenot church)! While the color of a building hardly gives any notice to the art history and design, I think the color white complements the city very beautifully...along with the distinguishing architecture of course.



5. Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim Synagogue

The Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim Synagogue is located at 90 Hasell St. The denomination is Judaism. It is the second oldest synagogue in the U.S and the oldest still in continuous use. The architectural style represents the Greek Revival, when it was built in 1840. The synagogue had a previous building, but it was destroyed in a fire. My teacher, Mr. Harwood taught us that the reason it is not facing the street is because the synagogue must face Jerusalem. I found that very interesting and did not know that about synagogues. Source: Kahal Kadosh Synagogue.





4. St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church 

St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church is located at 89 Hasell St. This church views itself as a pre-denominational church, however is considered Catholic in the diocese of Rome. It was established in Charleston in 1789. The church's current structure was built after its first structure was damaged in the Great Fire of 1838. The architecture and design is centered around the Greek Revival period. This church caught my attention because it does not have a steeple, which I feel is very commonly seen in most churches especially Catholic denominations. Source: St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church.

 3. St. Micheal's Episcopal Church 

St. Micheal's Episcopal Church is located at 80 Meeting St. The denomination is Episcopal. The church originated in Charleston dating back to 1680! The corner stone for the current building was laid in 1752. The style "follows the tradition of Sir Christopher Wren, generally used during the colonial period and up to the Gothic revival in 1841". Source: St. Micheal's Episcopal Church

 2. French Huguenot Church

 The French Huguenot Church is located at 136 Church St. The denomination is Huguenot. The original building was built in 1687, but was destroyed in a fire. The present building was later built in 1845. The architecture of this church is very eye catching with its Gothic style features. I had a tough time deciding whether to rank this church first or second because I loved the architectural features so much. Source: French Huguenot Church

1. Second Presbyterian Church 

Second Presbyterian finishes first out of the churches we visited in downtown Charleston! The reason I favor this church so much is because in order to get to the front doors, you walk down a long path under beautiful trees after entering the gates. The church was beautifully lit up at night when we visited. The church is located at 342 Meeting St. The denomination is Presbyterian. It was founded in 1809. The architecture is represented in the Classic Revival era. Source: Second Presbyterian Church