Church of the Epiphany-1

by John Kirkland

Title

Church of the Epiphany-1

Artist

John Kirkland

Medium

Photograph - Digital

Description

In 1665 Edward Hyde, 1st earl of Clarendon and other members of the British nobility received grants from King Charles II to establish the Province of Carolina, known today as North and South Carolina. By 1670, the English had established the first permanent settlement on the west bank of the Ashley River at Albemarle Point (Charleston). The Church Act of 1706, established the Church of England as the official church of South Carolina, a status that would not change until after the Revolutionary War. After the Revolutionary War, ties with the Church of England were cut and in 1785, its religious base in America was reorganized and became known as the Episcopal Church.

The beautiful little chapel depicted in the photograph is the Church of the Epiphany in Summerville, South Carolina. It was organized in 1884 and built in 1887 on land donated by Catherine “Kitty” Smith Springs. The church’s stated mission is to be a place of worship…an outpost of holiness where reverence, relevance, and presence create a Spirit-filled place to share and grow our faith.

I believe that mission statement was partially inspired by Catherine Springs who was born Catherine Smith. She was a biracial woman who owned a profitable dress shop on King Street in Charleston. She met and married Richard Springs, a white Summerville dry goods merchant and moved her business to Summerville. When her husband died in 1889, he willed all his possessions to her for her "services as a housekeeper" not naming her as his wife because at the time interracial marriages were not recognized. In a period where business and life were dominated by men, Catherine Springs overcame being both a woman and biracial to become a low country icon who donated property and money for the good of others. Those donations and her good will would go on to become landmark institutions including the Church of the Epiphany, the Bank School, the Austin School and the St. Barnabas Chapel, mission and hospital. You can see the monument erected in her honor to the right of the chapel.

Featured in the following FAA groups:

Churches, Cathedrals and Chapels
Churches
USA Photographers

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February 27th, 2022

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