Founded in 1812 as Trinity Church, it was the first Episcopal Church established in South Carolina after the American Revolution. The present building (minus the transepts), modeled after York Cathedral in England, was erected in 1846 and enlarged and remodeled from 1860-1862. On February 17, 1865, the troops of General Sherman entered the city. The next morning, one-third of Columbia was in ashes. The fires raged all around Trinity, but miraculously the church was spared. In 1977 the Diocese of Upper South Carolina voted to make Trinity its Cathedral parish. An $8,000,000 restoration took place between 2007-2010 to restore the Cathedral to its original magnificence.