For many, Hawaii is synonymous with sun and sand, mai tai cocktails, the singer Don Ho and of course, Polynesian culture.
But not far from Honolulu’s famous Waikiki Beach are visible reminders of a different time, when Hawaii was a sovereign country ruled by a monarch.
One such reminder is the Cathedral Church of St. Andrew, located about 15 minutes from Waikiki and within walking distance of the 1960s-era state capitol and other historic buildings from before the Stars and Stripes starting flying over the Hawaiian islands.
Today St. Andrew’s is the seat of the Episcopal bishop of Hawaii, but it actually dates to late 1860s when Hawaii’s monarchs, King Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma, were closely aligned with the British under Queen Victoria.
As a result, the Anglicanism of the Church of England — not the Episcopal Church — became the state church, known as the Church of Hawaii. Hawaii wouldn’t come under the jurisdiction of American Episcopalians until after the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893.
Designed by London architects William Slater and R. H. Carpenter, it is inspired by the style of 12th century French Gothic. And while the architecture is interesting and well executed, the cathedral is a notable example of prefabricated construction — its stained glass windows, pointed arches and columns were sent piece-by-piece in ships for assembly in Honolulu. This was quite the logistical and architectural feat, as the Panama Canal wouldn’t open until 1914.
While Kamehameha IV’s heir, Kamehameha V, laid the…
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