Historic Places of Worship

Rhode Island’s religious history is preserved in these eleven landmarks across Newport, Providence, and Middletown. The collection features architectural highlights ranging from the 1763 Touro Synagogue, the oldest synagogue building in the United States, to the colonial-era Trinity Church on Queen Anne Square. Significant sites include the historic African American Shiloh Baptist Church and the Gothic Revival Grace Episcopal Church in downtown Providence. These houses of worship showcase the state's diverse heritage through their preserved 18th and 19th-century designs, representing Episcopal, Jewish, Baptist, and Unitarian traditions.