St. Paul's Episcopal Church is an historic

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

church in

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Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, United States. Located directly across Ninth Street from the

Virginia State Capitol The Virginia State Capitol is the seat of state government of the Commonwealth of Virginia, located in Richmond, the state capital. It houses the oldest elected legislative body in North America, the Virginia General Assembly, first established a ...

, it has long been a popular house of worship for Richmond political figures and many Virginia governors throughout the years. Other notable people associated with the church are Rev. Dr.

Charles Minnigerode Charles Frederick Ernest Minnigerode (born Karl Friedrich Ernst Minnigerode, August 6, 1814 in Arnsberg - October 13, 1894 in Alexandria, Virginia) was a German-born American professor and clergyman who is credited with introducing the Christmas t ...

, who led the church from 1856 to 1889, including during the

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and

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eras, and Rev.

John Shelby Spong John Shelby "Jack" Spong (June 16, 1931 – September 12, 2021) was an American bishop of the Episcopal Church. Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, he served as the Bishop of Newark, New Jersey, from 1979 to 2000. Spong was a liberal Christian ...

, who was a retired bishop of the Diocese of Newark, began to attract national attention while rector of St. Paul's (1969–1976). St. Paul's was built in 1845 as a branch of the

Monumental Church Monumental Church is a former Episcopal church at 1224 E. Broad Street between N. 12th and College streets in Richmond, Virginia. Designed by architect Robert Mills, it is one of America's earliest and most distinctive Greek Revival churches ...

, which had outgrown its building. The

Greek Revival Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

church was designed by Thomas Somerville Stewart and modeled largely on St. Luke's Church, now Church of St. Luke & the Epiphany, in Philadelphia. The cornerstone was laid on October 10, 1843 and the church was consecrated on November 11, 1845. The estimated cost before construction was "not exceeding $53,500," excluding the organ and purchased lots. This cost later rose to $55,000. The organ was purchased for around $4,000 and the two lots for the church were $6,000 and $1,075. In 1845, there were 804 sittings in the nave and 358 in the gallery for a total occupancy of 1,162 parishioners. When St. Paul's was first built, it had a much more imposing figure than it does today due to the old 225 foot tall spire. This spire was significant in that it surpassed the

State Capitol A capitol, or seat of government, is the building or complex of buildings from which a government such as that of a U.S. state, the District of Columbia, or the organized territories of the United States, exercises its authority. Although m ...

as the highest structure in the city of Richmond from 1845 to 1900-1905, when the spire was removed out of stability fears. It was replaced by a much smaller 135 foot tall octagonal dome, which is how the church appears in the present day. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1969 as St. Paul's Church.

References

External links

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Official websitePod Cast of Church Events - iTunesPod Cast of Church Events - Google Play
19th-century Episcopal church buildings 1845 establishments in Virginia Churches completed in 1845 Saint Paul's Episcopal Church, Richmond, Virginia Saint Paul's Episcopal Church, Richmond, Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Richmond, Virginia Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Religious organizations established in 1845 {{Virginia-Anglican-church-stub