The Oldest Church in the Holy City

“Holy City” is one of many names given to Charleston. With the many church spires decorating the skyline it is easy to see why. But the small cruciform church, located on Ashley River Road and formed as the place for the Anglicans of St. Andrew’s Parish to worship, is the oldest surviving church building in regular use south of Virginia. The more than 300-year history of the Parish is religious but is also full of secular elements that form our current sense of community. In many ways it reflects the history of our state and its influence on the history of our nation.
The church went through a period of decline and then dormancy at the turn of the 20th century. The impact of the Civil War played an important role in this turn of events. However, the Parish soon experienced the influence of phosphate mining, truck farming, and suburban development. Having places to worship on the west side of the Ashley River were important for the growing population. Many of the various religious denominations were building new churches west of the Ashley River to accommodate the families that were creating community in St. Andrew’s Parish in the early 1940s. Members of the Episcopal Church were anxious to do the same.
Arthur Ravenel Sr. had established Episcopalian services in the St. Andrew’s Parish Exchange Club building at the request of Bishop Thomas Carruthers. There were only a handful of buildings that were large enough to hold a gathering of people for worship and the Exchange Club building on Savannah Highway was one of them. It wasn’t long before the membership was anxious to build a new church. After assessing all the alternatives, it was determined that the most viable option was to reopen the doors of the original cruciform church.
In Paul Porwoll’s recent book: Against All Odds: History of Saint Andrew’s Parish Church, Charleston, 1706-2013, the reader is taken on a rich and detailed journey of the Parish from “Difficult Beginning” through “Dormancy and Decline” to “Shaping the Future.”
With the Nov. 30 anniversary of the passage of the Church Act of 1706 that created the 10 colonial Parishes around the corner, it is a perfect time to recall the details of the Parish’s history. Against All Odds is available through Amazon and locally at Old St. Andrew’s (2604 Ashley River Road), Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Middleton Place, and the Shops of Historic Charleston Foundation on Meeting Street. All proceeds benefit the church’s historic preservation.
Donna would love to hear from you! Contact her at westashleybook@gmail.com.