St. Charles's Church
Hammer-beam oak ceiling of the church
St. Charles's Church is a historic Roman Catholic church in Charles Town, Sint-Anders Parish, Brunant, located at 2 Adams Street. It's one of the oldest active churches in Sint-Anders. Visually the brick building is a well-known landmark and St. Charles's Church is the third stop on the Discovery Trail.
Just like Charles Town itself, the building is named after Saint Charles, born Charles Argus, an immensely popular priest there from the second half of the 19th century who was recognized as a saint by Pope John Paul II in 1988. Saint Charles's tomb is held here. Prior to the construction of St. Charles's Church, (Irish-Brunanter) Roman Catholics mostly congregated at the close-by St. Mary's Church, now Town Hall.
The church has its own cemetery up north, St. Charles's Burying Ground.
Architecture[]
The building was designed in Neo-Romanesque style[1] by noted architect and inhabitant of Charles Town Woodrow C. Atgrove and built between 1887 and 1893, the year Charles Town was renamed in honor of Saint-Charles.
The ornate interior
Atgrove submitted his plans for the church without fee. The Catholics recognized his charity and reported "the thanks of the society were voted and desired to be offered to Mr. Wilson [sic] Atgrove for his kindness to the congregation in having supplied us with a very elegant plan for our new church and such as united decency and ornament with economy and having shown himself a friend and patron to us". Atgrove also pleased Charles Town’s Catholics by assisting in the subscription taken to provide a building fund and his personal supervision of each stage of construction.
The ornate interior of St. Charles's Church boasts stain glass windows by Karl Bond & Co and a hammer-beam oak ceiling with angels, carved by Atgrove himself.
References and notes[]
- ↑ Neo-Romanesque is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, however, Neo-Romanesque buildings tended to feature more simplified arches and windows than their historic counterparts.