Modeled after York Minster, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral is the first Episcopal and the oldest surviving sanctuary in Columbia, South Carolina. This Gothic Revival church was modeled after York Minster in York, England, and was named to the National Register of Historic Places on February 24, 1971. The building sits on the east side of Sumter Street between Gervais and Senate streets, directly east of the South Carolina State House.
Its story begins with the Society for the Advancement of Christianity in South Carolina, formed in 1810 by the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina, which sent Rev. Fowler to Columbia in 1812 to establish a mission. The parish was organized on August 8, 1812. Bishop Theodore Dehon visited on May 13, 1813 and held services at the State House.
The congregation was incorporated by the South Carolina Legislature as the "Episcopal Church in Columbia. The Legislature had given four lots on Lady Street to the Presbyterian and Episcopal congregations with the condition that they pay half their value to the Baptist and Methodist congregations to assist in construction; the Episcopalians sold their lots to the Presbyterians. Picture the South Carolina State House just west, where Bishop Theodore Dehon once held services.