.gif)
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral (Columbia, South Carolina)
Encyclopedia
Trinity Episcopal Church, now known as Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, is the first Episcopal and the oldest surviving sanctuary in Columbia, South Carolina
. It is a Gothic Revival
church that is modeled after York Minster
in York, England. It was named to the National Register of Historic Places
on February 24, 1971.
Trinity Church is on east side of Sumter Street between Gervais and Senate Streets. It is directly east of the South Carolina State House
.
, sent Rev. Mr. Fowler to Columbia to establish a mission. The Parish was organized on August 8, 1812. Bishop Theodore Dehon
visited on May 13, 1813 and held services at the State House. It was incorporated by the South Carolina Legislature
as the "Episcopal Church in Columbia."
The Legislature gave four lots on Lady Street to the Presbyterian and Episcopal congregations with the condition that they pay half their value to the Baptist and Methodist congregations to assist in construction of their churches. The Episcopalians sold their lots to the Presbyterians for the construction of the existing First Presbyterian Church
.
The cornerstone for the first church was laid on March 7, 1814. Bishop Dehon consecrated Trinity Church on December 14, 1814. The wooden church on the southeastern corner of Sumter and Gervais Streets had a cruciform shape. General Hampton
donated $2,000 and the organ to the church.
After a period of four years without a rector, Peter J. Shand, was sent by the Diocese as a lay reader. On January 19, 1834, he was ordained a deacon and was invited by the vestry to run the church. He stayed for the next fifty-two years. The Parish grew. In 1838, it began an African American Sunday School in 1838, installed a new organ in 1839, and began a school for indigent students in 1844.
to resemble medieval York Minster. The cornerstone was laid on November 26, 1845, by the rector, Peter Shand. Although the church had a cruciform design, only the nave
and the twin towers were constructed. Each tower had eight pinnacles topped with a fleur de lis. The brick structure was plastered with buff stucco. The towers and walls have shouldered buttresses. The nave has a clerestory
, which is the only one in a Columbia church. The roof is supported on exposed wooden beams. Bishop Gadsden
consecrated the church on February 14, 1857.
The baptismal font
donated by John S. Preston
was sculpted by Hiram Powers
. This was later donated to the Church of the Nativity in Union, South Carolina
and replaced by another Preston family donation sculpted by Hiram Powers.
Around 1860, the stained-glass windows from Munich
were added around 1860. In 1861 and 1862, which were the early years of the Confederacy
, the transept
s and an apsidal
chancel
were constructed under the direction of Edward Brickell White.
In 1890, a memorial stained-glass window in honor of Dr. Peter Shand was installed in the chancel. Later in the decade, additions included a Jardine chancel organ, choir stalls, a choir room, the eagle lectern, and the pulpit.
crosses on the roof when the Union Army
entered Columbia on February 17, 1865. They felt that this might protect the church because General Sherman was Catholic. The rectory burned in the fire, but the church survived. A photograph taken around 1862 shows a large cross at the peak of the gable on the front of the church.
In June 1865, the commander of the Columbia garrison of the Union Army ordered Rev. Shand to say the prayer for the president in the Book of Common Prayer
, letting him know that a member of his staff would attend the service. When Shand began the prayer, the Parish members rose from their knees and did not say "Amen."
In 1922, the diocese was divided. Trinity Church became part of the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina
. Trinity Church was named the cathedral of the diocese on January 19, 1977.
trees were planted in the churchyard. The Sire Oak was planted in 1814 after the first church was built. The second was planted in 1900 after finishing the church. The third tree was planted in 1925 when the Parish House was finished. There is a wrought iron fence around the churchyard.
The churchyard is the burial site for many noted South Carolinians: Revolutionary War generals Wade Hampton I
and Peter Horry and Private Robert Stark; Wade Hampton II
, who was a veteran of the War of 1812
and noted plantation owner; John Gabriel Guignard, who was surveyor of Columbia; Dr. Thomas Cooper
, who was president of South Carolina College
; Confederate
generals States Rights Gist
, Wade Hampton III
, and John S. Preston; the poet Henry Timrod
; Senator Preston
; six South Carolina governors: Richard Irvine Manning I
, John Lawrence Manning
, Wade Hampton III, Hugh Smith Thompson
, Richard Irvine Manning III
, and James F. Byrnes
; and eight bishops including Ellison Capers
.
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
. It is a Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
church that is modeled after York Minster
York Minster
York Minster is a Gothic cathedral in York, England and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe alongside Cologne Cathedral. The minster is the seat of the Archbishop of York, the second-highest office of the Church of England, and is the cathedral for the Diocese of York; it is run by...
in York, England. It was named to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on February 24, 1971.
Trinity Church is on east side of Sumter Street between Gervais and Senate Streets. It is directly east of the South Carolina State House
South Carolina State House
The South Carolina State House is the building housing the government of the U.S. state of South Carolina. The building houses the South Carolina General Assembly and the offices of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina. Until 1971, it also housed the Supreme Court...
.
Early history
In 1812 the Society for the Advancement of Christianity in South Carolina, which was formed in 1810 by the Episcopal Diocese of South CarolinaEpiscopal Diocese of South Carolina
The Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America covering an area of 24 counties in the eastern part of the state of South Carolina. Its see city is Charleston, home to the Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul and Diocesan House. There are...
, sent Rev. Mr. Fowler to Columbia to establish a mission. The Parish was organized on August 8, 1812. Bishop Theodore Dehon
Theodore Dehon
The Right Reverend Theodore Dehon was the second Bishop of South Carolina.-Biography:Theodore Dehon was born in Boston and graduated from Harvard University in 1795. He was ordained deacon by Bishop Edward Bass, in Newburyport, Massachusetts, on December 24, 1797 and the next month began his call...
visited on May 13, 1813 and held services at the State House. It was incorporated by the South Carolina Legislature
South Carolina General Assembly
The South Carolina General Assembly, also called the South Carolina Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of South Carolina. The legislature is bicameral and consists of the lower South Carolina House of Representatives and the upper South Carolina Senate. Altogether, the General...
as the "Episcopal Church in Columbia."
The Legislature gave four lots on Lady Street to the Presbyterian and Episcopal congregations with the condition that they pay half their value to the Baptist and Methodist congregations to assist in construction of their churches. The Episcopalians sold their lots to the Presbyterians for the construction of the existing First Presbyterian Church
First Presbyterian Church (Columbia, South Carolina)
The First Presbyterian Church is a historic church building in Columbia, South Carolina. Constructed in 1854, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 25, 1971.-History:...
.
The cornerstone for the first church was laid on March 7, 1814. Bishop Dehon consecrated Trinity Church on December 14, 1814. The wooden church on the southeastern corner of Sumter and Gervais Streets had a cruciform shape. General Hampton
Wade Hampton I
Wade Hampton was a South Carolina soldier, politician, two-term U.S. Congressman, and wealthy plantation owner. He was the scion of the politically important Hampton family, which was influential in state politics almost into the 20th century...
donated $2,000 and the organ to the church.
After a period of four years without a rector, Peter J. Shand, was sent by the Diocese as a lay reader. On January 19, 1834, he was ordained a deacon and was invited by the vestry to run the church. He stayed for the next fifty-two years. The Parish grew. In 1838, it began an African American Sunday School in 1838, installed a new organ in 1839, and began a school for indigent students in 1844.
Architecture
The Gothic Revival church was designed by Edward Brickell WhiteEdward Brickell White
Edward Brickell White , also known as E. B. White, was an American architect. He was known for his Gothic Revival architecture and his use of Roman and Greek designs.-Life:...
to resemble medieval York Minster. The cornerstone was laid on November 26, 1845, by the rector, Peter Shand. Although the church had a cruciform design, only the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and the twin towers were constructed. Each tower had eight pinnacles topped with a fleur de lis. The brick structure was plastered with buff stucco. The towers and walls have shouldered buttresses. The nave has a clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
, which is the only one in a Columbia church. The roof is supported on exposed wooden beams. Bishop Gadsden
Christopher E. Gadsden
Christopher Edwards Gadsden was the fourth Episcopal Bishop of South Carolina.Gadsden was born in Charleston, South Carolina in 1785, the son of Phillip Gadsden and his wife, Catherine Edwards. He was a grandson of Christopher Gadsden, the South Carolina Revolutionary leader...
consecrated the church on February 14, 1857.
The baptismal font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
donated by John S. Preston
John S. Preston
John Smith Preston was a wealthy planter, soldier, and attorney who became prominent in South Carolina politics in the 19th century...
was sculpted by Hiram Powers
Hiram Powers
Hiram Powers was an American neoclassical sculptor.-Biography:The son of a farmer, Powers was born in Woodstock, Vermont, on the July 29, 1805. In 1818 his father moved to Ohio, about six miles from Cincinnati, where the son attended school for about a year, staying meanwhile with his brother, a...
. This was later donated to the Church of the Nativity in Union, South Carolina
Union, South Carolina
Union is the county seat of Union County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 8,393 at the 2010 census.It is the principal city of the Union Micropolitan Statistical Area , an which includes all of Union County and which is further included in the greater...
and replaced by another Preston family donation sculpted by Hiram Powers.
Around 1860, the stained-glass windows from Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
were added around 1860. In 1861 and 1862, which were the early years of the Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
, the transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
s and an apsidal
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
were constructed under the direction of Edward Brickell White.
In 1890, a memorial stained-glass window in honor of Dr. Peter Shand was installed in the chancel. Later in the decade, additions included a Jardine chancel organ, choir stalls, a choir room, the eagle lectern, and the pulpit.
Later history
Local tradition holds that laymen took down the Episcopal signs and put paper-mâchéPapier-mâché
Papier-mâché , alternatively, paper-mache, is a composite material consisting of paper pieces or pulp, sometimes reinforced with textiles, bound with an adhesive, such as glue, starch, or wallpaper paste....
crosses on the roof when the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
entered Columbia on February 17, 1865. They felt that this might protect the church because General Sherman was Catholic. The rectory burned in the fire, but the church survived. A photograph taken around 1862 shows a large cross at the peak of the gable on the front of the church.
In June 1865, the commander of the Columbia garrison of the Union Army ordered Rev. Shand to say the prayer for the president in the Book of Common Prayer
Book of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
, letting him know that a member of his staff would attend the service. When Shand began the prayer, the Parish members rose from their knees and did not say "Amen."
In 1922, the diocese was divided. Trinity Church became part of the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina
Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina
The Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina is a diocese in the Episcopal Church of the United States of America .Originally part of the Diocese of South Carolina, it became independent on October 10-11, 1922 following nearly two years of planning. The see city is Columbia. Its cathedral is...
. Trinity Church was named the cathedral of the diocese on January 19, 1977.
Churchyard
At various times in the history of the Parish, three live oakLive oak
Live oak , also known as the southern live oak, is a normally evergreen oak tree native to the southeastern United States...
trees were planted in the churchyard. The Sire Oak was planted in 1814 after the first church was built. The second was planted in 1900 after finishing the church. The third tree was planted in 1925 when the Parish House was finished. There is a wrought iron fence around the churchyard.
The churchyard is the burial site for many noted South Carolinians: Revolutionary War generals Wade Hampton I
Wade Hampton I
Wade Hampton was a South Carolina soldier, politician, two-term U.S. Congressman, and wealthy plantation owner. He was the scion of the politically important Hampton family, which was influential in state politics almost into the 20th century...
and Peter Horry and Private Robert Stark; Wade Hampton II
Wade Hampton II
Wade Hampton II was an American plantation owner and soldier in the War of 1812. He was a member of the Hampton family, whose influence was strong in South Carolina politics and social circles for nearly 100 years....
, who was a veteran of the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
and noted plantation owner; John Gabriel Guignard, who was surveyor of Columbia; Dr. Thomas Cooper
Thomas Cooper (US politician)
Thomas Cooper was an Anglo-American economist, college president and political philosopher. Cooper was described by Thomas Jefferson as "one of the ablest men in America" and by John Adams as "a learned ingenious scientific and talented madcap." Dumas Malone stated that "modern scientific...
, who was president of South Carolina College
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
; Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
generals States Rights Gist
States Rights Gist
States Rights Gist was a lawyer, a militia general in South Carolina, and a Confederate Army brigadier general who served during the American Civil War. A relative of several prominent South Carolinians, Gist rose to fame during the war but was killed before its end at the Battle of Franklin on...
, Wade Hampton III
Wade Hampton III
Wade Hampton III was a Confederate cavalry leader during the American Civil War and afterward a politician from South Carolina, serving as its 77th Governor and as a U.S...
, and John S. Preston; the poet Henry Timrod
Henry Timrod
Henry Timrod was an American poet, often called the poet laureate of the Confederacy.-Biography:Timrod was born on December 8, 1828, in Charleston, South Carolina, to a family of German descent. His grandfather Heinrich Dimroth emigrated to the United States in 1765 and Anglicized his name...
; Senator Preston
William C. Preston
William Campbell Preston was a senator from the United States and a member of the Nullifier, and later Whig Parties...
; six South Carolina governors: Richard Irvine Manning I
Richard Irvine Manning I
Richard Irvine Manning I was the 50th Governor of South Carolina from 1824 to 1826 and was later a Representative in the United States Congress.-Early life and career:...
, John Lawrence Manning
John Lawrence Manning
John Laurence ManningJohn Laurence Manning, was the 65th Governor of South Carolina from 1852 to 1854.In 1838, John L...
, Wade Hampton III, Hugh Smith Thompson
Hugh Smith Thompson
Hugh Smith Thompson was the 81st Governor of South Carolina, from 1882 to 1886.Born in Charleston, Thompson graduated from The Citadel in 1856 and was an instructor at the Arsenal Academy from 1858 to 1861...
, Richard Irvine Manning III
Richard Irvine Manning III
Richard Irvine Manning III was a politician from the U.S. state of South Carolina. He served as a state legislator and as the 92nd Governor of South Carolina.-Early life and career:...
, and James F. Byrnes
James F. Byrnes
James Francis Byrnes was an American statesman from the state of South Carolina. During his career, Byrnes served as a member of the House of Representatives , as a Senator , as Justice of the Supreme Court , as Secretary of State , and as the 104th Governor of South Carolina...
; and eight bishops including Ellison Capers
Ellison Capers
Ellison Capers was a school teacher, Confederate general in the American Civil War, theologian, and college administrator from South Carolina.-Early life:...
.