The weather was great for a wonderful tour of downtown churches that highlighted why Charleston is so often described as ‘The Holy City.’
Our guide, Carol Ezell-Gilson, moved us smoothly from one church to another along the patchwork sidewalks of downtown streets and through the Gateway Walk—a path through several churchyards that culminates in a quiet, albeit densely overgrown cemetery (overgrown by choice and through great attention and care by the Garden Club of Charleston!).
We heard about the architects who envisioned these beautiful houses of worship and the different architectural styles and ornamentation they employed to inspire reverence: the ironwork, stained glass windows, church bells, soaring steeples, etc. We also learned much about the building and rebuilding of many of these structures which, over time, have been damaged by both natural and man-made catastrophes.
It was a day jam-packed with facts—more than we’ll ever be able to remember. SINHG has run this trip successfully in the past and we’re likely to run it again in the near future. Be sure to look for it—Carol Ezell-Gilson’s tours are incredibly popular simply because they’re so very good!
Submitted by Kathy Pompe