Chapel at Castillo de San Marcos aka Fort Marion
From 1672 until 1695, the Spanish were building Castillo de San Marcos of coquina stone to replace nine successive wooden fortifications. A Catholic Chapel with an altar can still be seen inside the fort along the north side. “During the Second Spanish Period (1783-1821), the Spanish military engineer Mariano de la Rocque designed a neoclassical façade or facing for the chapel entrance. Unfortunately, it was poorly built and deteriorated quickly. By the time the Unites States took over the fort, it had already begun to crumble away.” (National Parks Service) The Catholic Chapel, with altar and holy water, located inside the fort along the north side gives an idea of how important religion was to Spanish soldiers and citizens, providing them a place of worship when the town was under attack. In 1825, the name was changed to Fort Marion, then changed back to Castillo de San Marcos after it became a National Monument and Park.
Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine Cathedral
In 1793, the Cathedral of St. Augustine cornerstone was laid, and the Roman Catholic Church was completed in 1797. Bells were hung in the niches across the top portion of the façade. They were rung by hand with wooden mallets from a wooden platform until the fire of 1887 destroyed the platform and most of the church. Only the façade and a portion of the exterior walls of the church survived the fire, which destroyed the roof and interior. At the time, Henry Flagler was building the Ponce de Leon Hotel and witnessed the fire along with architect James Renwick, who designed New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the Smithsonian Castle. Both men offered their services in reconstructing the church. The original church was without a tower or steeple and Flagler contributed a six-story bell tower. Renwick offered to help with the design and enlargement. During restoration the church was extended 12 feet beyond the original north wall and a freestanding bell tower was added. The transepts, belltower, and extended nave were added in poured concrete rather than the old coquina. This beautiful Cathedral Basilica with 18th century Spanish architecture and a 19th century bell tower still stands today as a monument to the dedication and perseverance of our forefathers. It has been restored to look as much like it did in the late 1700s. (In 1870 it was upgraded to a cathedral. For its historical, spiritual, and architectural significance, it was raised to the status of a minor basilica by Pope Paul VI in 1976.)"
Trinity Parish Episcopal Church
The Protestant Episcopal Church in St. Augustine held their first services in the Government House. By 1825, a cornerstone was laid for a new church, and when completed in 1831 the entrance to Trinity Parish Episcopal Church faced the Plaza opposite the Cathedral Basilica. The church was expanded to the west in 1903, and the entrance was reoriented to face St. George Street. The original 1831 part of Trinity Parish Episcopal Church was preserved as the north transept and is now the Chapel of St. Peter. The spire was added around 1843. The chapel features many stained-glass windows including a triptych above the altar and a rare, signed Louis Comfort Tiffany window, added in 1905.
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