St. Anne's Church: A Romanesque Beauty on Church Circle

When Sir Francis Nicholson designed the city plan of Annapolis in 1694, he formed two monumental street circles on the highest lands overlooking the harbor and Chesapeake Bay. State Circle provides a most commanding setting for the State House and seat of government. Church Circle is smaller, and on slightly lower land, but in many ways has a greater visual impact on the city.

Church Circle is the hinge between Main Street and West Street. Probably the only salient feature on the Annapolis peninsula before Nicholson’s plan was the horse path from western lands to the natural harbor. This path was formed by the natural topography. Situated on the highest ground between Spa Creek and College Creek (now West Street), it lead to the most gradual slope into the natural harbor (now Main Street). If you stand at the south side of the church building, near Captain John Worthington’s 17xx grave, you can look down Main Street to the Harbor, and look out West Street, the land route to Philadelphia and Washington DC. It is not hard to imagine the actual placement of the church building respects this ancient path. It is one explanation for the fact that the building is not in the center of the circle and the front door is not precisely centered on West Street.  

Nicholson was a staunch supporter of the Church of England. He believed strongly that the church should play an integral part in the development of Annapolis. His placement of Church Circle had the profound effect that upon entering the city either by land or by water, the church building would dominate the approach.  

The building we see today is the third church structure. The first was started within 5 years of Nicholson’s plan, and was the only brick church in Maryland. This building was demolished in1775 to make way for a larger church. It is hard to believe that the church Vestry could not have foreseen the pending “unplesantries” of the revolution. The unfortunate timing of the new construction was halted by the scarcity of materials, and the flaccid community support for building a new edifice for the Church of England. By 1785 work begins on a new church without ties to England, and completed by 1792. It is this church building we can see in the 1800 water color of Annapolis. This building burned in 1858 due to a faulty furnace. It was rebuilt immediately and is the building we see today. The second building shares many architectural similarities with the present building. Both are Romanesque architecture which was very popular in the 1800s before the Civil War. Romanesque architecture features perfectly circular round arches, frequently paired one inside of another. The style tends to be severe with little architectural ornamentation. The 1858 bird’s eye print of Annapolis by E. Sachse Company illustrates the church with two steeples, making a more complete Romanesque composition. The Civil War interrupted their construction. In 1866 the single spire we see today was completed in a Gothic style. The octagonal taper sits on a square brick base and includes the town clock which is actually the property of the City of Annapolis and responsible for its care and maintenance. Fortunately we can set aside all issues of the separation of Church and State, and enjoy the remarkable beauty of the edifice and the quarter hour chimes.  

The interior of the church is magnificent. It has been recently restored using original paint colors with lovely understated stenciling. The high ceiling of the sanctuary is lit by Tiffany stained glass windows. Of special note is the bronze lectern capped by an American eagle with wings spread and talons extended. The lectern was given to the church by the widow of James Iredell Wendell, commodore of the confederate war ship the S.C. Shenandoah. After the war, Wendell cooled off in England, returning to build his beautiful English Shavian inspired home on the corner of College Avenue and Prince George Street in 1881. The lectern is a great example of bombastic design, demanding much visual attention. No less demanding is the inscription which suggests that the Commodore should “rest with the Saints”.