The historic Circular Congregational Church (150 Meeting St., 843/577-6400, www.circularchurch.org [1], service Sun. 11 a.m., 10:15 a.m. during summer, tours Mon.—Fri. at 10:30 a.m.) has one of the most interesting pedigrees of any house of worship in Charleston [2], which is saying a lot.
Originally held on the site of the “White Meeting House,” for which Meeting Street is named, services were held here beginning in 1681 for a polyglot mix of Congregationalists, Presbyterians, and Huguenots. For that reason it was often called the Church of Dissenters (“Dissenters” being the common term at the time for anyone not an Anglican).
As with many structures in Charleston, the 1886 earthquake necessitated a rebuilding, and the current edifice dates from 1891. Ironically, in this municipality called “the Holy City” for its many high spires, the Circular Church has no steeple, and instead stays low to the ground in an almost medieval fashion.
Look for the adjacent meeting house, which gave the street its name; a green-friendly addition houses the congregation’s Christian outreach and has geothermal heating and cooling and boasts Charleston [2]’s only vegetative roof.
Links:
[1] http://www.circularchurch.org
[2] http://www.moon.com/destinations/charleston-savannah/charleston