Church of the Week
” I recently spent a wonderful Saturday in Bluffton, SC. My friend, Cat, asked me to stop by the Church of the Cross and take a photo. She was married there. Set on a high bluff overlooking the May River, I can understand why it would be a fairy tale location for a wedding. I thought I would share this beautiful church with you, maybe offering you some of my favorite ones each week.
Episcopal worship services on the Bluff of the May River began in the early 1800′s. Bluffton was a young town, a haven for planters trying to escape the heat and crowded lifestyle of the cities. It was a stop on the ferry route between Savannah and Beaufort and a chapel was built near the site in 1842. The present church was consecrated in 1857. The church was described as a “handsome cruciform Gothic building” and its fanned arches truly resemble the palmetto fronds outside the windows. The rose colored glass in the windows was sent from England.
The church survived the burning of the town when federal troops marched through in 1863. The Nationa
l Register of Historic Places has listed the church since 1975. I can’t imagine a better place to reflect with the soft pink walls of the interior framing the May River easing by the bluff.
Filed under: Around Town, Lowcountry Lifestyle on May 30th, 2008
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