St. Mathew’s Lutheran Church

Out of a desire to worship in their native language, Johann Andreas Wagener and 49 other German speaking colleagues, in 1840, founded St. Mathew’s Lutheran Church (officially known as the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Charleston, South Carolina). Nine years later, Wagener also established the German immigrant colony of Walhalla, S.C. During the Civil War, Wagener, then a Brigadier General, served as the Confederate Army’s commandant of Charleston until 1865. Three years after the end of the Civil War, the church’s congregation decided that they had outgrown their original structure and began plans for a new building. In 1872, they dedicated their new, larger church. The Bell Tower and clock were added in 1901. Today, St. Mathew’s Lutheran Church serves as a frequent venue for the Charleston Symphony Orchestra Gospel Choir concerts.

St. Mathew’s Lutheran Church’s original sanctuary...

...and as it looks today.

An 1883 archival Photo of the “new” St. Mathew’s.

A view of the main altar from the entrance way...

...but the impressiveness of the stained glass windows can’t be fully appreciated until you get closer...

...and there are many more beautiful windows on both sides of the church, including in the balcony.

The colors have remained vibrant, even after nearly 150 years.