The Churches of Charleston and the Lowcountry: Preservation Society of Charleston [Hardcover]

George C. Rogers (Author), Preservation Society of Charleston (Author), Mary Moore Jacoby (Editor)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 122 pages
• Publisher: University of South Carolina Press (September 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0872498883
• ISBN-13: 978-0872498884
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,343,116 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Holy City's holy sites..., October 5, 2004

By 

Cynthia K. Robertson (beverly, new jersey USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Churches of Charleston and the Lowcountry: Preservation Society of Charleston (Hardcover)

I believe that in the United States, the most elegant, beautiful, gracious and historic city is Charleston, South Carolina. Religion has always played a prominent role throughout Charleston's history, and The Preservation Society of Charleston has compiled a beautiful coffee-table book entitled The Churches of Charleston and the Low Country.

I have heard that there are more Episcopal Churches per square mile in Charleston than in any other U.S. city. While I'm not sure that this is true, it is evident that Charleston has a very large number of churches in various denominations. In fact, because of her abundance of churches and the many steeples that grace her skyline, Charleston has been nicknamed The Holy City.

Charleston has a fascinating religious history. Although an English Colony with the Anglican Church being the official church, The Lord Proprietors enacted laws allowing for religious tolerance and the freedom to establish churches in other denominations. Charleston's early tolerance was a model for the rest of the colonies, and many groups including French Huguenots, Quakers, Baptists, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Roman Catholics and even Jews settled here. Beth Elohim happens to be the oldest continuously operating synagogue in the nation. The Churches of Charleston gives a thumbnail sketch of the history of 63 churches and synagogues established prior to 1900. It also includes beautiful photographs of church interiors and exteriors. While many of the churches are in downtown Charleston, some are in the outlying low country including Edisto, Wadmalaw, Mt. Pleasant, Summerville, John's Island, Sullivan's Island, Rockville, and McClellanville. Some of the more prominent churches get several pages, while lesser-known buildings may get a page or less.

For a prospective tourist or someone looking for a parish home in the Charleston area, this book is an excellent source for photographs and history. It is also a lovely book to own if you are interested in Charleston, or like reading about historic churches. If you want a real in-depth look at the history of religion in Charleston or the specifics of a historic church (such as St. Michael's or St. Philip's), there are better sources to be found.