St Michael’s Church, Charleston

St Michael's Church, Charleston tickets: which one to buy

Saint Michael's Church stands at the corner of Meeting Street and Broad Street, known as the Four Corners of Law, in the historic district of Charleston, South Carolina, and entry is free, with docents often available to explain the church's history. It is the oldest surviving church building in Charleston. Walking tours of Charleston's historic district include the church along with the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon, the Nathaniel Russell House, Rainbow Row and the Battery, and horse-drawn carriage tours pass by.

The church's graveyard holds the graves of prominent Charlestonians, including two signers of the United States Constitution. The church is an active Episcopal congregation, and visiting pauses during services. The steeple can be seen from much of the peninsula. Docents in the church can give short explanations and answer questions on weekdays.

Visiting St Michael's Church, Charleston: what to see

The church was built between 1752 and 1761 on the site of the first Anglican church in Charleston, and it is thought to have been inspired by the London churches of James Gibbs, with a white stuccoed exterior, a portico of Tuscan columns and a tall steeple 186 feet high. The steeple's bells, cast in London in 1764, have crossed the Atlantic several times: taken by the British during the Revolution, returned, sent to Columbia during the Civil War and damaged by fire, then recast in London and returned. During the Revolution and the Civil War, the steeple was painted black to make it less visible to enemy gunners. The church has survived earthquakes, hurricanes and bombardments. Inside, the church keeps its original box pews, a mahogany pulpit and a Tiffany stained glass window.

George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette worshipped here, and Washington's pew is marked. The churchyard is entered through gates from Meeting Street and is shaded by trees. The interior is painted white, with a high pulpit and a canopy above it. The organ case dates from the eighteenth century and was made in England. Memorial tablets on the walls commemorate Charleston families and parishioners who died in wars. The clock in the steeple has kept time since the eighteenth century. The church's chandelier was installed in the early nineteenth century. The Four Corners of Law, with the church, City Hall, the County Courthouse and the federal post office, represent the laws of God, city, state and nation.

St Michael's Church, Charleston opening hours and the best time to go

The church is open on weekdays for visitors, with services on Sundays. Charleston is most pleasant in spring and autumn; summer is hot and humid, and hurricane season runs from June to November. The Spoleto Festival USA in late May and June brings arts events to the city, and the Festival of Houses and Gardens in spring opens private homes. Christmas brings candlelit services. Mornings are the best time for walking tours before the heat. Allow about twenty minutes for the church and churchyard, and walk down Meeting Street to the Battery. The Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon, at the end of Broad Street, offers tours of the building where British prisoners were held during the Revolution.