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Early RepublicCivil War

Saint Mark's Episcopal Church

San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Established on what was a part of the Alamo lands, Saint Mark's Espicopal Church traces its history to Trinity Church, a mission established in 1850 and disbanded in 1858. Saint Mark's Church was organized in 1858 with the Rev. Lucius H. Jones as first rector. Church construction began in December 1859. Col. Robert E. Lee, stationed in San Antonio at that time, was a leader in parish activities. The Civil War interrupted construction, and work did not resume until 1873. The building was completed in 1875 under the leadership of the Rev. Walter R. Richardson. Saint Mark's was the Cathedral of the Missionary District of Western Texas from 1876 to 1888. Designed by noted New York architect Richard Upjohn, Saint Mark's is an excellent example of a Gothic Revival style church. It exhibits such hallmark features as buttresses, window tracery, and a castellated tower. Designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, it received the official Texas Historical Buildng Medallion in 1962. Active in missionary and community outreach endeavors throughout its history, Saint Mark's continues to offer a variety of programs. Many of Saint Mark's rectors have become bishops of the Episcopal church. (1992)

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Built on former Alamo lands, Saint Mark's grew out of an 1850 mission and was organized as a parish in 1858, with Col. Robert E. Lee — then stationed in San Antonio — active in its early affairs. The Civil War halted construction, which resumed only in 1873 and finished in 1875; designed by noted architect Richard Upjohn, the Gothic Revival church later served as a cathedral and cradle of Episcopal bishops.

Why it matters

The church's stop-and-start construction, bracketing the Civil War, makes its very walls a record of how the conflict interrupted ordinary American life in a frontier city.

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Related people

  • · Robert E. Lee
  • · Richard Upjohn
  • · Lucius H. Jones
  • · Walter R. Richardson

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