Simple Splendour
A precious stillness pervades the room. It is small, intimate, and ornamental, with soothing colors of brown, blue, and white. You feel like you have stepped inside a Gothic Revival jewelry box. But it’s not easy to get inside The French Huguenot Church unless you attend a Sunday-morning service. So please enjoy the one-minute video below.
A little history: This French Protestant church was founded about 1681 by Huguenot refugees from the Protestant persecutions in France. The first church was built on its present site in 1687, but was destroyed in 1796 during an attempt to stop the spread of fire which had burned a large surrounding area. The original building was replaced in 1800 and then dismantled in 1844 to make way for the present Gothic Revival ediface, designed by Edward Brickell White. The structure was damaged during the Civil War and nearly demolished in the earthquake of 1886. The present building dates to 1845. It is the only remaining independent Huguenot church in America.
The Huguenot Cross pendant
If you go inside, look for the beautiful Huguenot cross which was designed in the form of a Maltese cross, with four triangles meeting at the center. Each triangle has two rounded points, signifying the eight Beatitudes of Matthew 5: 3-10. Between the triangles are four fleurs de lis, symbolizing purity, and four open spaces in the form of four hearts, for love and loyalty. In the pendant, a dove is suspended from the lower triangle by a gold ring, signifying the Holy Spirit. In times of persecution, a pearl, symbolizing a teardrop, replaced the dove.
The four arms of the Maltese cross are sometimes regarded as the heraldic form of the four petals of the Lily of France which grows in the south of France. The arms symbolize the four Gospels. ¶
French Huguenot Church
44 Queen St • Get directions
