Lutheran Church of the Ascension - Savannah, GA
N 32° 04.677 W 081° 05.513
17S E 491328 N 3549079
This church was founded in April 14, 1741. The current building was built in 1843. It is located at 120 Bull St in Savannah, GA.
Waymark Code: WM3Z3Y
Location: Georgia, United States
Date Posted: 06/08/2008
Views: 16
The Lutheran Church of the Ascension (Founded, 1741) Historical Marker reads:
On April 14, 1741, John Martin Bolzius, who as Pastor of the Salzburgers at Ebenezer was in charge of Lutheran work in the colony of Georgia, founded the congregation now known as the Lutheran Church of the Ascension.
In 1756 members of the congregation purchased for one hundred and fifty pound the lot upon which the present church building stands, directly East of this marker. Around 1772 a nearby building which had formerly served as a court house was acquired at a cost of sevnteen pounds and was moved to this site, becoming the first church building of Lutherans in Savannah.
The present church was ereced in 1843. Extensive remodeling was completed in 1879 and at that time it was dedicated as 'The Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Ascension.' The choice of the name is connected with the beautiful stained glass window behind the altar, portraying the Ascension of Christ into heaven
From the Lutheran Church of the Ascension web site:
Several years after a Salzburger Pastor and fellow German Lutherans arrived in the area, Ascension congregation was founded in 1741. The church trustees purchased the present lot in 1771. Several wooden structures and a single story brick church preceded the present building, constructed in 1878.
After the installation of the magnificent Ascension window in 1879, the congregation’s name was used for the first time. The present interior, basically the same since then, has been renovated several times. Between 1921 and 1936, six windows depicting the life of Christ were given as memorials.
On the front of the marble altar you'll find a copy of DaVinci's Last Supper; above the altar is an open Bible and a chalice which reminds us that the basis of the Lutheran Church is word and sacrament.
The window on the back wall shows Martin Luther before the Diet of Worms.
The Cassavant organ in the balcony was dedicated in 1983 and the internationally known Lutheran musician, Dr. Paul Manz, played the dedicatory recital.