Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist

History & Significance

Cathedral · Est. Dedicated 1907 (construction begun 1890)

The Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston, South Carolina. Designed by architect Patrick C. Keely in the Gothic Revival style, construction began in 1890 to replace the earlier Cathedral of Saint John and Saint Finbar, which was destroyed in the great Charleston fire of 1861. The cathedral was dedicated in 1907, though its spire was left unfinished for over a century; the 85-foot steeple was finally completed in 2010.

Gothic Revival (Connecticut brownstone), by Patrick C. Keely

• •Mother church and seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston, which covers all of South Carolina (diocese erected 1820)
• •Designed by Brooklyn architect Patrick C. Keely; construction began 1890 and was dedicated in 1907
• •Replaced the Cathedral of Saint John and Saint Finbar, destroyed in the Charleston fire of 1861
• •Its long-planned steeple was finally completed in 2010, more than a century after dedication