St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Catholic church in Ansonborough, Charleston, United States
St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church is a Catholic church at 93 Hasell Street in Charleston, South Carolina. The rectangular building measures 84 by 50 feet, is built of brick covered with stucco, and has four Doric columns supporting a large entablature. The nave has a central aisle with two large rows of pews and smaller pews along the side aisles.
The present building was completed in 1839 to replace an earlier structure destroyed in the Charleston fire of 1838, and it was the third church built on this site. The congregation's roots at this location go back further, reflecting a long Catholic presence in the city.
The parish was the first Catholic congregation established in the Carolinas and Georgia, incorporated by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1791. The graveyard lies on both sides of the church and to its rear, and the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as No. 76001697.
The church sits on Hasell Street in the Ansonborough neighborhood, within easy walking distance of downtown Charleston. Because the building is still used for regular worship, it is worth checking ahead to find out when visits are welcome.
The interior holds a Crucifixion painting by John S. Cogdell, made to replace the original artwork lost in the 1838 fire. Cogdell was known mainly as a sculptor, which makes this painting an unusual part of his body of work.
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