Christ Church is a historic Episcopal

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

in Lancaster County,

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 ...

, north of Irvington. Built in 1732-35, it is notable for its unique Georgian design, and is one of the best-preserved colonial churches in the southern United States. The church is the only colonial Virginia church that still has its original high-backed pews and one of two that has maintained its original three-tiered

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...

History

The first church erected at the site was a wooden building, the construction of which was funded by powerful landowner John Carter in 1670. Carter died before the construction was completed, but was buried on the church grounds alongside four of his five wives. John Carter's son

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

, a wealthy

vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government of a parish in England, Wales and some English colony, English colonies. At their height, the vestries were the only form of local government in many places and spen ...

man and planter, decided that the parish deserved a more substantial place of worship and, in 1730, funded and supervised the construction of a brick building on the approximate foundations of the old wooden church. Christ Church was connected to Robert Carter's Corotoman mansion by way of a cedar-lined road, in order to emphasize the importance of the benefactor and his family. The church thrived until the

disestablishment The separation of church and state is a philosophical and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the state. Conceptually, the term refers to the creation of a secular s ...

of the Anglican church in Virginia in 1786. This event, coupled with the Glebe Act of 1802, which authorized the state to seize church property, crippled the Anglican (now Episcopal) church in the state, and Christ Church lost both money and parishioners. Operating only intermittently in the 19th century, the church fell into disrepair; the Carter family tombs in the yard were subject to weathering and neglect, and vandals stole bricks from the exterior. Still, the church fared better than many other colonial churches, and in 1927 the

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began work on restoration of the site.

Architecture

The unknown original architect endowed the structure with many of the hallmarks of the Georgian style, including a formal, symmetrical layout,

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

ed facades, and classical detail. Among the more noted features of the church's interior are its high-backed

box pews A box pew is a type of church pew that is encased in panelling and was prevalent in England and other Protestant countries from the 16th to early 19th centuries. History in England Before the rise of Protestantism, seating was not customary in ch ...

, which held entire families at service. Its unique wineglass pulpit is located in the building's center and the three levels of lecterns were intended to show the relative importance of the readings delivered there. The bottom tier was for community announcements, the middle for the gospel, and the top tier was reserved for the delivery of the sermon.

Current use

Today, Christ Church is owned and operated as a museum by the non-profit Foundation for Historic Christ Church, which has almost completely restored its 18th-century appearance. The church was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

in 1961. Religious services are still held at 8:00 a.m on Sundays in the summer months in cooperation with nearby Grace Church.

Gallery

Christ church lancaster pulpit photo.jpg, Pulpit of Christ Church Christ Church - Lancaster.jpg, Christ Church with graveyard and restored brick wall in foreground Christ church lancaster walkway.jpg, Cedar-lined road to Robert Carter's Corotoman plantation Christ church lancaster doorway.jpg, Main entrance, showing decorative brickwork Christ church lancaster soundboard.jpg, Intricate woodwork on the sounding board above the pulpit

References

External links

Church website run by Historic Christ Church Foundation

Church at Virginia.org

"Christ Church, Lancaster Co., Virginia"
at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Christ Church, State Route 3, Kilmarnock, Lancaster County, VA
16 photos, 28 measured drawings, and 3 data pages at

Historic American Buildings Survey The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...