The Old Saint Teresa Catholic Church is the oldest church in Albany, Georgia. Built by enslaved craftspeople, construction began in 1859 but was halted during the Civil War. It was completed in 1882. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
The United States has 93 basilicas, and North Carolina has three: the Basilica Shrine of St. Marys in Wilmington, the Belmont Abbey in Belmont, and the Basilica of St.Lawrence in Asheville.
Architect Rafael Guastavino, a Spanish immigrant, built and designed the church in 1905. The Spanish Renaissance church was built without steel beams and features incredible stained glass and sculpture.
As of 2024, the church is on a fundraising campaign to restore the church. You can donate to preserve by visiting their website.
From the Basilica’s Art and Architecture brochure, “The lunette over the main entrance is made of polychrome terra cotta and represents Christ giving the keys of the
kingdom to St. Peter and appointing him head of the Church. Immediately below this lunette is a stained glass window displaying the Coat of Arms of the Basilica of St. Lawrence.”
North of Greer, South Carolina, is the unexpected Our Lady of Vietnam Park, built by Catholic refugees from Vietnam. It features the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child and was dedicated on November 24, 1991, during the Feast of the Holy Martyrs. The event remembers the 117 Vietnamese martyrs who were persecuted for their Catholicism during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
According to Wikipedia, Buddhism and Catholicism are the largest organized religions in the country. Still, most people in Vietnam either follow an unorganized faith tradition, are classified as Vietnamese folk religion, or are atheists. There are approximately 7 million Catholics in Vietnam and 1 million Vietnamese Catholic expatriates.
Located south of Walterboro, South Carolina, St. James the Greater Catholic Church traces its beginnings to Irish plantation owners who worshipped in the church with the people they enslaved. The congregation began in 1826.
After the end of Civil War, many enslavers abandoned their land. Vincent de Paul Davis, a new freedman, took it upon himself to educate others about the Catholic faith and encourage others around him to continue the practice of the Catholic faith.
In 1909, a new church building was built for this important Black congregation. It was destroyed by a tornado. The current church was rebuilt in the Gothic Revival style in 1935 using materials from the old church building.
Built in 1883, the Church of the Purification is tied to the oldest Catholic congregation in Georgia. Started in 1790 by several families from Maryland, the congregation began in Locust Grove in Taliaferro County. This church is the third building of the church. The church no longer hosts regular services.
