St. George's Episcopal Church is a church in
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg is an Independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 27,982. It is south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond, Virginia, R ...
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 second largest diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, encompassing 38 counties in the northern and central parts of the U.S. state Virginia. The diocese was organized in 1785 and is one of t ...
. The building 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 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 (; ) was an American planter best known for being the mother of the first president of the United States, George Washington. The second wife of Augustine Washington, she became a prominent member of the Washington family. She spe ...
, the mother of
George Washington
George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
, 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 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, Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Major general ( ...
(1862), the church was damaged by cannon fire; it was also used as a command post for the
Union Army 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 altar and the chancel, as well as to the buildings on the surrounding site such as the parish hall, classroom wing (McGuire Hall) and the church building itself. The organ (By Parsons Pipe Organ Builders) was constructed for the parish during renovations completed in 2009.
St. George's today
The church is an active, thriving, and inclusive parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia with a wide range of services, activities and events. Visitors are welcome, and the church is open for prayer and meditation daily from 9 am to 5 pm. On Sunday, the building remains open until approximately 6 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 (compline is not offered during the summer). 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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