Old Lava Stone Church in Kilauea, Kauai, Hawaii

Christ Memorial Episcopal Church, Kilauea, Kauai, Hawaii

On our recent vacation to the Hawaiian island of Kauai, we stopped in to this wonderful old church. We had seen is many times, but this was the first time we stopped to look inside. Wow! The hand-carved altar and communion rail are gorgeous! The stained glass windows are equally as beautiful.


The Christ Memorial Episcopal Church is located just off the main highway in the town of Kilauea. It is still an active mission church, with services on Sundays and Holy Days.

According to the church's website: There is also an interesting history attached to the church itself. As early as 1888 worship services were held in Kilauea ... By 1924 the time had come for a permanent church in Kilauea ... In 1939 the Kilauea Sugar Company deeded the churchyard to Christ Memorial Church and gave the native stone used in the erection of the present building ... The graveyard surrounding the church dates back to the earliest days of the original Hawaiian Congregational Church, with many graves dating back over 100 years. Unfortunately, many graves are unmarked and the number of people buried here will probably remain a secret known only to God.

The graveyard surrounds the church, which is made from locally quarried lava rocks. The headstones in the graveyard tell many stories, so when you visit allow time to read them.





The Kilauea church is reminiscent of the then mission church where I grew up in Kaneohe, on the island of Oahu. That church, St. Ann's Catholic Church, was built back in 1852 of local coral rocks. Alas it was replaced in the mid-1950s.

Comments

  1. AnonymousMarch 24, 2014 at 6:13 PM

    My Mom went on a trip with friends to HI in 1971. She took a photograph of the "Old Stone Church". The photo did not have a picture of the cross. A year or two later a friend of hers painted an oil painting of the church without the cross. My Mother loved it and so do I. I now live in IA and it hangs in my front room where I can look at it every day. The view of the church is from the right side whereas the photograph is from the left side. We both fell in love with it. SWV.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Elaine's 2centsSeptember 25, 2015 at 5:27 PM

    This is the church that my husband & I were married in! We fell in love with the history & beauty. A must visit for anyone going to Kauai.

    ReplyDelete

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