Watch an audio slideshow of the church walking tour

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- In an enormous burst of civic pride and energy after the fire of 1194, the people of Chartres, France, rebuilt their cathedral, which still stands today and is often considered the finest ever built.

West Virginians too have often poured their best efforts into building beautiful houses of worship to last the ages.

As I close out a 21-year career here, much of it spent covering the performing arts, visual arts and religion, I wanted to take one more look at the downtown's houses of worship. I chose half a dozen of these civic treasures clustered within a few blocks, and photographer Lawrence Pierce and I went on a walking tour that started at Kanawha Presbyterian, and took us to First Presbyterian, Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral, St. John's Episcopal, Christ Church United Methodist and the Baptist Temple.

I've attended worship services and concerts in all six. They are awesome buildings. Think of the money, effort and talent it took to build them. Think of the faith that formed the underpinnings.

It pains me to leave out other houses of worship close by: St. Mark's Methodist and St. Paul's Lutheran, both stately buildings in the old style; Simpson Memorial Methodist and First Baptist, treasures to the African-American community; St. George Cathedral, the Eastern Rite church across from Charleston Town Center; Bream Memorial Presbyterian, the equal of any building in this town; Trinity Lutheran, a thriving congregation on Elizabeth Street; B'nai Jacob Synagogue with its stained glass windows brilliantly designed by a member's son; and east of the Capitol, the elegant contemporary building that houses Temple Israel. They are all treasures.

Kanawha United Presbyterian Church

The Civil War brought a split in the Presbyterian Church, with the majority of the Charleston congregation leaning to the South and staying with what became First Presbyterian Church. The Northern sympathizers, 25 members when they laid the cornerstone in 1873 and 16 members when workers finished the building in 1885, kept the old church name and built a new building. Today, Kanawha Presbyterian has 214 members.

Rev. John Davis, pastor: "There are two early entries in the meetings of the church. One woman was accused of drunkenness and dancing. She owned a tavern. The woman was sufficiently repentive that they allowed her to the Communion table. In those days, Communion was what you withheld."

"Two pages later, a black man named Jim was also accused of drunkenness and not sufficiently repentive, and not allowed back to the Communion table. He was excommunicated. He was someone's servant.

"We're a lot like the denomination today. We cover the spectrum theologically, we cover the spectrum politically, and - more so than five years ago when I came - we cover the spectrum economically. Today we have people who need help and people who can give a great deal of it. Generally, the church is open-minded and wants to have discussion over important issues. We've had people come into the church who might not be welcome in other churches. No matter who walks through, we want them to know they're welcome. That probably wouldn't have been the case in 1873, not without conditions."

First Presbyterian Church

The building, dating from 1915, extends south just beyond the first set of exterior steps on Leon Sullivan Way. The congregation added an attached four-story education building (marked by the second set of exterior steps) in 1932 and then the activities building in 1957. The church has 1,300 members, plus children under confirmation age.

Otis O'Connor, elder and longtime member: "Not many people lived on the hill in those days. This was a downtown church. A lot of those people came."

"We're the same First Presbyterian Church. We're a little bigger now than we were in 1915. But we're not as big as we were in the 1960s.

 "In 1915, they didn't have Internet and cell phones. I think the church was more the center of people's lives. I know that was the case when I was growing up."

Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral

Built in 1897, the congregation counted 80 English families and 56 German families in a parish census just five years earlier. Today, the congregation has 1,150 families - 2656 individuals - who are on the rolls and attend church regularly. Another 157 families come now and then but aren't on the church rolls. The majority of members send their children to Catholic school.

Watch an audio slideshow of the church walking tour

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- In an enormous burst of civic pride and energy after the fire of 1194, the people of Chartres, France, rebuilt their cathedral, which still stands today and is often considered the finest ever built.

West Virginians too have often poured their best efforts into building beautiful houses of worship to last the ages.

As I close out a 21-year career here, much of it spent covering the performing arts, visual arts and religion, I wanted to take one more look at the downtown's houses of worship. I chose half a dozen of these civic treasures clustered within a few blocks, and photographer Lawrence Pierce and I went on a walking tour that started at Kanawha Presbyterian, and took us to First Presbyterian, Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral, St. John's Episcopal, Christ Church United Methodist and the Baptist Temple.

I've attended worship services and concerts in all six. They are awesome buildings. Think of the money, effort and talent it took to build them. Think of the faith that formed the underpinnings.

It pains me to leave out other houses of worship close by: St. Mark's Methodist and St. Paul's Lutheran, both stately buildings in the old style; Simpson Memorial Methodist and First Baptist, treasures to the African-American community; St. George Cathedral, the Eastern Rite church across from Charleston Town Center; Bream Memorial Presbyterian, the equal of any building in this town; Trinity Lutheran, a thriving congregation on Elizabeth Street; B'nai Jacob Synagogue with its stained glass windows brilliantly designed by a member's son; and east of the Capitol, the elegant contemporary building that houses Temple Israel. They are all treasures.

Kanawha United Presbyterian Church

The Civil War brought a split in the Presbyterian Church, with the majority of the Charleston congregation leaning to the South and staying with what became First Presbyterian Church. The Northern sympathizers, 25 members when they laid the cornerstone in 1873 and 16 members when workers finished the building in 1885, kept the old church name and built a new building. Today, Kanawha Presbyterian has 214 members.

Rev. John Davis, pastor: "There are two early entries in the meetings of the church. One woman was accused of drunkenness and dancing. She owned a tavern. The woman was sufficiently repentive that they allowed her to the Communion table. In those days, Communion was what you withheld."

"Two pages later, a black man named Jim was also accused of drunkenness and not sufficiently repentive, and not allowed back to the Communion table. He was excommunicated. He was someone's servant.

"We're a lot like the denomination today. We cover the spectrum theologically, we cover the spectrum politically, and - more so than five years ago when I came - we cover the spectrum economically. Today we have people who need help and people who can give a great deal of it. Generally, the church is open-minded and wants to have discussion over important issues. We've had people come into the church who might not be welcome in other churches. No matter who walks through, we want them to know they're welcome. That probably wouldn't have been the case in 1873, not without conditions."

First Presbyterian Church

The building, dating from 1915, extends south just beyond the first set of exterior steps on Leon Sullivan Way. The congregation added an attached four-story education building (marked by the second set of exterior steps) in 1932 and then the activities building in 1957. The church has 1,300 members, plus children under confirmation age.

Otis O'Connor, elder and longtime member: "Not many people lived on the hill in those days. This was a downtown church. A lot of those people came."

"We're the same First Presbyterian Church. We're a little bigger now than we were in 1915. But we're not as big as we were in the 1960s.

 "In 1915, they didn't have Internet and cell phones. I think the church was more the center of people's lives. I know that was the case when I was growing up."

Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral

Built in 1897, the congregation counted 80 English families and 56 German families in a parish census just five years earlier. Today, the congregation has 1,150 families - 2656 individuals - who are on the rolls and attend church regularly. Another 157 families come now and then but aren't on the church rolls. The majority of members send their children to Catholic school.

Monsignor Edward Sadie: "A lot of them were immigrants, a lot of Germans. You didn't have that Italian wave yet. A good percent of Catholics have always gone to church at least once a week on Sundays. A lot have always prayed every day.

"The church is still a big part of their lives. They took Communion less often than they do now and they went to confession more often. They took Communion less often because they felt unworthy. Today everyone thinks they're worthy."

St. John's Episcopal Church

Completed in 1888, the building gained a connected addition, called the parish house, in 1928. The church has 450 members, plus children under confirmation age.

Becky Burns, senior warden: "What we understand is that in those days, prominent families actually purchased their pews. That was a fundraising mechanism. We certainly don't do that anymore."

Janet Morris, church historian: "We had first families: Quarrier, Shrewsbury, Laidley, Hubbard, Patrick Spicer, Glenwood. In the '60s and '70s, this emerged: starting groups (like Manna Meal, Covenant House, Women's Health Center, Kanawha Pastoral Counseling Center) and outreach and a much greater sense of social justice."

Becky Burns: "We've continued and expanded that in the years since. Three things we've valued most were the social outreach, our inclusiveness, and our liturgy and music. And that's one thing [the emphasis on liturgy and music] that hasn't changed."

Christ Church United Methodist

Completed in 1911, most of the building was lost in the 1969 fire. The bell tower survived, as did the chapel added in 1954. The congregation rebuilt around those parts, and the new building with its contemporary-designed sanctuary opened in 1973. The congregation has 1200 members of confirmation age - grades six or seven - and older.

David Donathan, longtime music minister: "When I look over old bulletins, the focus is the same. Worship focuses on the spoken word, preached. Catholic and Episcopalian churches and some Lutheran churches are focused on the sacraments. They have Communion every Sunday. That's an element Methodist churches are considering. But that would change us from word-driven to sacramental. We're considering incorporating that into one service.

"After the fire, they decided to stay here, rebuild at this location, and embark on a mission of outreach to the community and build a facility that would allow that to happen. And I think that's why they rebuilt in a contemporary style."

Baptist Temple

The current building, the church's third, was built in 1925. The congregation today has 600 members.

The Rev. Dennis Johnson, senior pastor: "The sanctuary seats 1,000. I'm sure they filled it when they built it in 1925. Ernest Flagg was the architect from New York City. There is a spiritual design to the whole structure. At the center of the building is the sanctuary. Everything else that happens is around the sanctuary, which was his way of saying worship is the heart of the church.

"Many folks see it as nothing more than a concert hall. They want to sing here because it has the best acoustics. But to us, it is a sanctuary, a house of worship. It has good acoustics to glorify God. If you're going to build a sanctuary, build it well.

"I'm sure it was a very quaint, quiet, predominantly residential neighborhood. Clarence Kemper was the pastor. He spoke a lot about economic justice issues, fair wages. The ethos of that congregation wasn't different than the ethos today. How we carry that out is different.

"The neighborhood helps define who we are today. There's much more social involvement by the congregation. As the neighborhood has changed, the ministry of the church has changed with it."

Bob Schwarz retired from The Charleston Gazette on Aug. 15.