St. George's Episcopal Church is a church in
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg is an independent city located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,982. The Bureau of Economic Analysis of the United States Department of Commerce combines the city of Fredericksburg wi ...
at 905 Princess Anne Street. The church, built in the 18th century and re-built in 1815 and 1849, is a part of the
Episcopal Diocese of Virginia
The Diocese of Virginia is the largest diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, encompassing 38 counties in the northern and central parts of the state of Virginia. The diocese was organized in 1785 and is one of the Episco ...
. The building was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 2019.
History
An area of land was designated as "St. George's Parish" as early as 1720, but construction of a church building was not begun until 1732. The wooden frame church was completed in 1741.
Mary Ball Washington
Mary Washington (; born sometime between 1707 and 1709 – August 25, 1789), was the second wife of Augustine Washington, a planter in Virginia, the mother-in-law of Martha Washington, the paternal grandmother of Bushrod Washington, and ...
, the mother of
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
, and her family living in the area, attended this old St. George's.
St. George's joined the new
Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States
The Episcopal Church, based in the United States with additional dioceses elsewhere, is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is divided into nine Ecclesiastical provinces and dioces ...
in 1789.
A new building, in brick, replaced the old wooden church in 1815, but that was itself replaced by the present building in 1849.
During the
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat, between the Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnsi ...
(1862), the church was damaged by cannon fire; it was also used as a command post for the
Union Army
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...
when they took the city.
The church has been continuously developed, including the addition of side galleries (1854), the town clock and installation of striking stained glass windows (some by Tiffany) at various times (1885–1943). The original pews are still in use, but there have been various refurbishments and restorations to the organ (By Parsons Pipe Organ Builders), the buildings on the surrounding site such as the hall, and to the church building itself.
St. George's today
The church is an active and thriving community, with a wide range of services, activities and events. Visitors are welcome, and the church is open for prayer and meditation daily from 8 am to 10 pm. On Sunday, the building remains open until approximately 9 pm. Sunday services are at 7:45 am, 9 am, and 11:15 am. A Celtic service is held at 5:30 pm each Sunday and Compline is at 8 pm. During summer, services are at 7:45 am and 10 am.
The Rector is the Reverend Joe Hensley, who came from St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Durham, N.C. in early 2015.
See also
*
Saint George: Devotions, traditions and prayers
*
References
External links
Official website
Episcopal churches in Virginia
Churches in Fredericksburg, Virginia
19th-century Episcopal church buildings
National Register of Historic Places in Fredericksburg, Virginia
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