Cathedral of St. John the Baptist

The congregation of St. John the Baptist formed in the late eighteenth century when French émigrés fleeing revolutions in France and Haiti found refuge in Savannah. The Church of St. John the Baptist became a cathedral in 1850 when the Diocese of Savannah was established with the Right Reverend Francis X. Gartland as its first bishop. The Cathedral was dedicated at this site on April 30, 1876. A fire in 1898 destroyed much of the structure. It was quickly rebuilt and opened again in 1900. Another major restoration took place in 2000. Today it is a place of worship and seat of the diocese that includes ninety counties in southern Georgia.

2007.7         Erected by the Georgia Historical Society and the
Parish Council, Cathedral of St. John the Baptist         25-28

Plaque courtesy Lat34North.com.

Original page, with additional info, here.

Photo credit: Byron Hooks of Lat34North.com.