During Year 2, we attended St. James Episcopal Church in Florence.
History of St. James Church Florence: The congregation was informally established in 1850, shortly after the parliament of Tuscany repealed the ban on non-Catholic churches in Florence. The Gothic Revival church pictured above was completed in 1908. The last $10,000 needed to complete the church came from a famous American. He had already given money for the first non-Catholic church inside Rome's walls. When asked about funding the church in Florence, he reviewed the architect's plans and said "more elaborate." His wish was honored and the funds needed to complete the church were given by J. Pierpont Morgan.
St. James is located near Florence's main train station. During WWII, American bombers were given the difficult task of hindering the Germans' retreat by destroying the train station and attached trainyard without damaging any of the nearby historic buildings, including St James and other buildings from the 1200's. The American bombers largely succeeded and the nearby buildings were not heavily damaged.
According to the church's website, St. James' "most dramatic moment came on November 3-4, 1966, when the Arno River flooded, rising to a height of 12 feet in some of Florence’s museums and monuments, doing devastating damage. The water and fuel oil flooded the parish hall under the church and reached the window sills of the rectory. St. James parishioners wrote their friends in America and within the next 3 months raised $ 425,000 to help the needy. The vestry, in cooperation with the British, set up a relief agency to investigate each case and to provide a maximum grant of $35 weekly per family."
The Church Now: Today, the church serves not only English speakers from the U.S. and the U.K., but also parishioners and visitors from all over the world and from all walks of life.
The grounds and interior of the church are lovely.
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| The Rectory |
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| The Garden |
The church is very welcoming. The very first time we attended a service at St. James, we made connections that helped make our year in Florence great, instead of good.
Through those connections, we learned about many activities at St. James, including a weekly Food Bank and a monthly Clothing Market. Susan was active in both of those programs. (Surprisingly, the clothes sold at low cost at the Clothing Market included many lightly used designer items donated by hundreds of Americans studying abroad in Florence each Fall and Spring. So, the Clothing Market was a great place to get high-quality clothing at rock-bottom prices.)
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| "MDG" refers to the Millennium Development Goals proposed by the United Nations and supported by the Episcopal Church |
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Along the way, we have met wonderful people, like Lisa and Edelin in the photo above and Father Mark and wife Dottie, plus Samuel in the photos below.
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| Dottie and Mark |
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| Susan with Samuel, who is always well dressed. Samuel is from Nigeria and has lived in Florence for many years. |
The church has even let us read and usher at the services.
The Bell Tower: One day, we decided to climb the church's bell tower.
Views from the bell tower:
If you visit Florence, we recommend stopping by St. James. Whether you are religious or not, you will find a beautiful church and be warmly welcomed.
Plus, if you have a group visiting Florence, you can rent a townhouse next to the church rectory. The townhouse has a living room, kitchen, three bedrooms and three baths, plus parking and AC. The townhouse has a private street entrance and is located very close to the heart of Florence.
P.S. If you meet the Rector's wife Miss Dottie, be sure to ask about the Broadway musical she is writing. She will make you a cup of coffee and tell you all about it.
