The Cathedral of St. John The Baptist

The Cathedral of
St. John The Baptist
120 Broad St.
Charleston SC 29401
Telephone: (843) 724-8395
Fax: (843) 724-6386

The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist is a magnificent structure, a grand monument to the faith of thousands -- past and present -- and a wonderful house for the Church. But the road to today was long, stony, curved with heartbreaks and joys; one negotiated only through arduous sacrifice.

On May 3, 1821, Bishop John England purchased property on the northeast corner of Broad and Friend (now Legare) as a site for the cathedral. A "dwelling house" was on the lot, and on December 30, 1821, Bishop England blessed it as a temporary chapel for the congregation. The cornerstone was laid for the first cathedral at the present site on July 30, 1850. Called the Cathedral of St. John and St. Finbar, it was consecrated on April 6, 1854.

On December 11, 1861, a fire broke out in a factory on Hasell Street, destroying much of Charleston including the cathedral. Everything was lost.

Cathedral Fund-raising for a new cathedral continued for the next 45 years, and the cornerstone for the present Cathedral of St. John the Baptist was laid in January 1890. The Gothic architecture calls for a spire, but due to lack of funds, it was never built. The lower church includes a crypt where Bishop England, his sister and three other Charleston bishops are buried. The antebellum 1854 cathedral could seat 1,200 people and cost $103,000 to build.

The present church was built on the foundation of the 1854 cathedral. The structure is of Connecticut tool-chiseled brownstone. Over each entrance are unique stained glass windows including the Papal coat of arms and the seal of the state of South Carolina. The pews are of carved Flemish oak, and the main altar is of white Vermont marble.

In the nave are 14 large two-light windows, representing the life of Christ from the Nativity to the Ascension. Above the high altar is a five-light window copied from Leonardo DaVinci's "Last Supper." The rose window above it is the Baptism of Jesus by St. John the Baptist. In the clerestory of the sanctuary are windows honoring the four evangelists.

In preparation for the 50th anniversary of the cathedral in 1957, extensive repairs were made to the building. In the winter of 1966-67, Deacon Joseph Kemper and Lawrence Terry, a devoted parishioner, painted the entire cathedral. For the 75th anniversary of the cathedral in 1982, renovations and repairs were intitiated by Bishop Ernest L. Unterkoefler to implement the liturgical and sacramental directives of the Second Vatican Council. In 1991, Bishop David B. Thompson commissioned the present permanent altar of celebration. A new bishop's chair was situated to the left of the altar, and all of the furnishings in the altar area were commissioned during this renovation. The side walls were newly plastered and the entire church was painted in 1995. The color scheme and the gold-leafing highlight the Gothic architecture. A 25-rank French Romantic pipe organ, Bedient Opus22, was purchased from the Episcopal Christ Church Cathedral in Louisville, Ky.

Thus continues the history of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, the "home church" of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston.