St. Paul's Episcopal Church is an historic

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church in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

, Virginia, United States. Located directly across the street from the Virginia State Capitol, it has long been a popular house of worship for political figures, including General

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

and

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President

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as a ...

(earning it the nickname "the Cathedral of the Confederacy"). Davis was a member. Other notable people associated with the church are Rev. Dr. Charles Minnigerode, who led the church during the Civil War and Reconstruction eras. The Right. Rev. John Shelby Spong, now retired as 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, which had outgrown its building. The Greek Revival church was designed by

Thomas Somerville Stewart Thomas Somerville Stewart (1806 – May 3, 1889) was a Philadelphia architect, engineer, and real estate developer. Personal life Thomas Somerville Stewart was born to a Scottish family living in Ireland ( Scots Irish), he immigrated to Phila ...

and modeled largely on St. Luke's Church, now Church of St. Luke & the Epiphany, in Philadelphia. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969 as St. Paul's Church. The corner stone was laid on 10-Oct-1843 according to the St. Paul's History book. Consecration was 11-Nov-1845. The same book estimates the probable cost, before construction, as "not exceeding $53,500". That excludes the organ and lot. Later an approximation of $55,000 is given. Organ is estimated at $4,000 and lot was $6,000 and then an additional lot was added for $1,075. The book also reports that there were 804 sittings in the nave and 358 in the gallery for a total of 1162.

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-church-stub