Historic U.S. churches damaged in protests – fire set at St. John's, 'Church of the Presidents'

St. John's Episcopal Church, attended by every U.S. president since James Madison, on Sunday became one of several historic American churches damaged or defaced during the recent protests against police brutality against black Americans – the basement of the Washington, D.C., church was set afire Sunday night.

The roughly 104-year-old church is on the corner of Lafayette Square, directly in front of the White House. The fire was reportedly extinguished quickly. The protests became so violent in the nation’s capital this past weekend that the Secret Service sent President Trump on Friday night into a White House bunker for about an hour.

Other churches across the country that have been damaged in the protests, which started Tuesday after George Floyd died a day earlier after being arrested by Minneapolis police, include the landmark St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City and the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis.

On Saturday night, St. Patrick’s was defaced by graffiti, and the basilica, the first in the U.S., sustained minor damage.