Historic Bishop Portraits Find New Home at Grace Church Cathedral, Charleston

Visitors to Grace Church Cathedral and the Diocesan Office located in Hanahan Hall might notice some "new" faces on their next visit. Throughout the history of our diocese, 13 portraits have been created to commemorate the first 13 bishops of The Diocese of South Carolina. In addition, Grace Church Cathedral commissioned a painting of the Rt. Rev. Charles von Rosenberg who served as Bishop Provisional for the Diocese of South Carolina following the schism in 2012-2013 when the bishop and other parishes left The Episcopal Church and our historic diocese. These 14 portraits are now on display in the stairwell of Hanahan Hall alongside Glebe Street. Interestingly, just across Glebe Street from this spot is the house where the first bishop of our diocese (1795-1801), the Rt. Rev. Robert Smith, lived as president of the College of Charleston (1790-1797).

Also of note, the two portraits hanging in the first floor hallway at the Glebe Street entrance (pictured above in the photo at the top left) are those of the Rt. Rev. William Alexander Guerry (top left, the eighth bishop of The Diocese of South Carolina) and the Rt. Rev. Christopher Gadsden (the fourth bishop of our diocese). Bishop Guerry is remembered each year as a reformer and martyr of our diocese, and Bishop Gadsden, in addition to helping lead to the creation of the Bishop Gadsden Episcopal Retirement community, also consecrated Grace Episcopal Church (now Grace Church Cathedral) as bishop in 1846. Bishop Gadsden is also remembered as one of the first advocates of a general seminary to educate clergy, and the efforts he started eventually led to the establishment of the General Theological Seminary. 

The portraits had been housed at the former cathedral and diocesan office of The Diocese of South Carolina, but were ordered by the South Carolina Supreme Court in 2022 to be returned as property belonging to the historic diocese affiliated with The Episcopal Church. Grace Episcopal Church was designated the cathedral of our diocese in 2015.