memorial presbyterian
Faith has remained an integral part of St. Augustine’s history since its inception. When the Spanish fleets came ashore, they brought the Roman Catholic tradition, and then the iconic architecture followed.
This blog highlights the city’s beautiful historic churches and the special Christmas Eve and Christmas services for your family to enjoy.
Learn more about the History of Catholicism in the city of St. Augustine.
38 Cathedral Place, St. Augustine, Florida
America’s first Catholic parish was established in St. Augustine upon the city’s founding in September 1565. The Cathedral Basilica in historic downtown is the oldest Catholic Parish in Florida and the seat of the Bishop of the Diocese.
Originally built by sailors and soldiers with no architectural experience, the first parish was lost in 1586 during Drake’s Raid and the second in 1599 when deteriorated straw and palmetto caught fire. A third was built in 1605 with lumber but caught fire in 1707 due to environmental conditions and lack of maintenance. For almost 90 years, St. Augustine did not have a physical church, and services were held in a local hospital.
The cornerstone of the basilica you see today was laid in 1793 and construction was completed in 1797. The church suffered yet another fire in 1887 that impacted many buildings in the area, but the coquina structure was salvaged and New York City architect James Renwick, Jr. was chosen to renovate the building. Henry Flagler helped to fund a major reconstruction that enlarged the cathedral with a dramatic, soaring ceiling and a bell tower reminiscent of Spanish Missions.
In 1966, in honor of St. Augustine’s 400th Anniversary, the congregation renovated the cathedral and added the Blessed Sacrament Chapel to dedicate the event. It was designated a US National Historic Landmark on April 15, 1970, and in 1976, Pope Paul VI elevated the Cathedral to a minor basilica status — the 27th church in the United States to receive this honor. The recognition of the cathedral as a minor basilica establishes the historic significance of the parish to the Catholic Church.
Today, visitors can see the church as it was in the late 1700s. The façade is a combination of Spanish Mission and Neoclassical architectural styles with an exquisitely decorated interior complete with Victorian stained glass windows, oil paintings copied from the Vatican’s Pauline Chapel, marble altars, and a grand display of 56 organ pipes.
37 Lovett Street, St. Augustine, Florida
St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church, located in the Lincolnville neighborhood, was founded in 1893, following the Civil War, for African-Americans in St. Augustine who practiced the Episcopal faith. The congregation gathered in various facilities until the current church was constructed and dedicated in 1900, featuring a steeply pitched roof, heart pine interior, and diamond-shaped windows.
The structure underwent a major restoration in the 1990s with the support of grants, the Diocese of Florida, the National Episcopal Church’s Women’s United Thank Offering, and the Episcopal Cathedral in Indianapolis. St. Cyprian’s continues to thrive as a spiritual cornerstone and is dedicated to honoring diversity and inclusion in its ministry.
32 Sevilla Street, St. Augustine, Florida
The Memorial Presbyterian Church is Florida’s first Presbyterian congregation established in 1824, with its first building constructed in 1830 on St. George Street between Bridge and St. Francis Streets.
In 1890, Henry Flagler dedicated a new sanctuary to his daughter Jenny Louise Benedict who passed from childbirth complications. Flagler is entombed with his daughter, granddaughter Marjorie, and first wife Mary. Memorial Presbyterian was designed by Carrere & Hastings, the same architects who designed Flagler’s Ponce de Leon Hotel, Hotel Alcazar (today the Lightner Museum), and Grace United Methodist Church.
Flagler’s other buildings utilized elements of Spanish, Moorish, and Baroque architecture, but the Memorial Church took inspiration from St. Mark’s Basilica and is constructed in the Venetian Renaissance style.
The grandeur doesn’t stop at the door! Inside, you will find Italian marble floors, mahogany pews, stained glass panels, a rose window, and a baptismal font carved from a single block of Siena marble.
Christmas Eve services are held at 10 AM, 5 PM, and 7 PM.
85 Martin Luther King Avenue, St. Augustine, Florida
In 1873, Reverend Richard James began working to build the first St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church in St. Augustine where the Willie Galimore Center is located today.
The congregation worshiped there until 1888 when they were offered a lot to build a larger church on School Street in the Lincolnville neighborhood to accommodate the growing membership. Members attended services on St. Francis Street from 1903 until January 1904 when William and Frances van Dyke purchased a lot and two-story frame building on St. Benedict Street for $1,000, one block from Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue.
Reverend E.F. Williams was assigned to the church and is remembered as the architect and builder of St. Paul AME Church, awakening a new hope in the hearts of the congregation. He served the congregation for four and a half years, leaving behind a beautiful brick-veneered church.
27 Sevilla Street, St. Augustine, Florida
Ancient City Baptist was first organized in January 1887 and its 18 charter members met in the Armory of the original Genovar Opera House.
In 1894, Henry Flagler agreed to give the congregation a prime lot worth about $5,000 under the condition that the church was built within two years, cost no more than $10,000 debt-free, the property could never be mortgaged, and a bell never hung in the tower.
The church was completed in April 1895 and is believed to be the oldest surviving church meeting structure on Florida’s East Coast. It was renovated in 1953 and again in 2003 when a group led by retired glass craftsman Dee Tarrant repaired the original stained glass windows and designed new matching windows where needed.
215 St. George Street, St. Augustine, Florida
Established in 1821 and located on the plaza in downtown St. Augustine, Trinity Parish Episcopal Church is the oldest Protestant church in Florida. Construction on the first building began in 1830 from coquina, and the first service was held on June 30, 1831.
The bell from Holbrook foundry, the successors to Paul Revere, was procured in 1842 and the first three stained glass windows were added just before the Civil War. Visitors can find a rare window in the chapel signed by Louis Comfort Tiffany and ten windows (including the triptych above the altar) made by Franz Mayer & Sons from Munich, Germany. In 1895, Reverend C.M. Sturges started a six-year funding effort to expand the sanctuary. Work began in 1902 and the new Neo-Gothic structure seated 300 parishioners in 1903.
As the population rose and winter visitors grew in the early 20th century, Trinity added an education facility, parish hall, kitchen, classrooms, offices, and a nursery with Neo-Gothic architectural features. An Aeolian-Skinner organ was added in 1966. In 2021, Trinity Parish celebrated 200 years and refurbished the bell to ring in its bicentennial.