Perhaps you’ve noticed how Charleston is called the Holy City. This nickname comes from the numerous historic churches with fantastic architecture. One such architectural gem is the Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul.
Located at 126 Coming Street the Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul stands as the cathedral of the Diocese of South Carolina. Its story is one of mergers and transformations. It began as St. Paul’s Radcliffeboro. Construction started in 1810. The church showcases Gothic Revival architecture.
But its history goes back further. Another church named St. Luke’s Episcopal congregation was founded in 1858. Charleston’s premier Gothic Revival architect Francis D. Lee designed a soaring Gothic church for them. It was in the Mazyckborough-Wraggborough neighborhood. The Charleston Courier noted the style. It was to be “Perpendicular Gothic… peculiarly adapted to our Southern climate”.
Construction commenced in 1859. The church was designed in a Greek cross layout. A planned 210-foot steeple was never completed. The building was intended to be stuccoed. Patriotism intervened. The lime was donated to the Confederacy. Thus it remained exposed brick. Giant lancet Gothic windows with elaborate tracery decorate the gable ends of each point of the cross.
Inside soaring Gothic vaults rest on quatrefoil columns. They support the central 55-foot ceiling. The galleries are decorated with Gothic style spindle work and quatrefoil center panels.
The Charleston Dailey News reported in 1872 on improvements to St. Paul’s Church in Radcliffborough. The old high-back pews were removed. More modern pews without doors were installed. The pews were made of walnut. A new walnut railing was added around the chancel. Wainscoting was also installed.
The Civil War left its mark. Shelling damaged the building. Union troops stripped it. The barely completed building continued to be used by St. Luke’s congregation. This lasted until 1949.
In 1949 St. Luke’s congregation merged with St. Paul’s in Radcliffeboro. The result was the Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul. It took its place at 126 Coming Street.
The New Tabernacle Fourth Baptist Church purchased St. Luke’s in 1950. They were founded in 1875. They rebuilt in 1904 under Reverend D. J. Jenkins. He was the founder of Jenkins’s Orphanage.
Today most of St. Luke’s Church’s detailed elements have been preserved. The building serves as a popular venue for Spoleto performances. So the Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul stands as a testament to architectural beauty resilience and the evolving religious landscape of Charleston. It embodies the spirit of the Holy City.