St. Stephen's Church, also known as St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, is an historic church located at 6807 Northumberland Highway, Heathsville, Northumberland County, in the

Northern Neck The Northern Neck is the northernmost of three peninsulas (traditionally called "necks" in Virginia) on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay in the Commonwealth of Virginia (along with the Middle Peninsula and the Virginia Peninsula). The P ...

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 ...

. Built in 1874 and consecrated in 1881, it was designed in the

Carpenter Gothic Carpenter Gothic, also sometimes called Carpenter's Gothic or Rural Gothic, is a North American architectural style-designation for an application of Gothic Revival architecture, Gothic Revival architectural detailing and picturesque massin ...

style by T. Buckler Ghequiere. an
''Accompanying photo''
/ref> On December 28, 1979, it was added to 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 ...

. It remains in use by an active parish in 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 ...

. It is located in the

Heathsville Historic District Heathsville Historic District is a national historic district located at Heathsville, Northumberland County, Virginia. The district includes 81 contributing buildings, 12 contributing sites, 4 contributing structures, and 4 contributing object ...

. The church sits along U.S. Route 360 in Heathsville. Its main elevation, which faces the west, is dominated by a one-story porch. Its design consists of paired square columns supporting the roof, which is pitched steeply and topped with a cross. Inset is a Gothic-style arch with

trefoil A trefoil () is a graphic form composed of the outline of three overlapping rings, used in architecture, Pagan and Christian symbolism, among other areas. The term is also applied to other symbols with a threefold shape. A similar shape with f ...

s and wooden railing; the iron railing on the steps was added later. The double doorway which serves as a church entrance retains its original doors, patterned with a herringbone design and set with

quatrefoil A quatrefoil (anciently caterfoil) is a decorative element consisting of a symmetrical shape which forms the overall outline of four partially overlapping circles of the same diameter. It is found in art, architecture, heraldry and traditional ...

s of

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

, set inside a pointed arch. The porch is flanked by more stained glass windows on either side, quite narrow, and a

rose window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' wa ...

, also of stained glass, is set in the gable. At the very top of the roof is a cross; a

finial A finial () or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature. In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the Apex (geometry), apex of a dome, spire, tower, roo ...

and pendants make up the decoration of the gable. Inside the church are four bays at each elevation; each contains a stained glass window. The

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

may be found in the east of the church; it is rectangular and lighted by three pointed windows, the center one larger than its fellows. A brick

chimney A chimney is an architectural ventilation structure made of masonry, clay or metal that isolates hot toxic exhaust gases or smoke produced by a boiler, stove, furnace, incinerator, or fireplace from human living areas. Chimneys are typical ...

on the exterior breaks the shape of the roof. A small

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 ...

may be found beside the apse. A wooden

communion rail The altar rail (also known as a communion rail or chancel rail) is a low barrier, sometimes ornate and usually made of stone, wood or metal in some combination, delimiting the chancel or the sanctuary and altar in a church, from the nave and ot ...

separates the sanctuary from the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

. The

reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a Church (building), church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular a ...

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 ...

, and

lectern A lectern is a standing reading desk with a slanted top, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon. A lectern is usually attached to a stand or affixed to some other form of ...

were constructed by a member of the parish, Clem Goodman. The pews are original. Also surviving is the original church bell, located outside the structure and to its east. The cemetery, behind the church, is a later addition to the grounds. The church design has been called "evidence of rural Virginia's architectural conservatism", as such churches were more likely to have been built earlier in northern states; it also reflects the influence of architect

Richard Upjohn Richard Upjohn (22 January 1802 – 16 August 1878) was a British-American architect who immigrated to the United States and became most famous for his Gothic Revival churches. He was partially responsible for launching the movement to popula ...

and his 1852 book ''Rural Architecture'' on many ecclesiastical architects. The parish was founded in 1653 as Chickacoan Parish; it was renamed Fairfield Parish in 1664. St. Stephen's Parish was formed in 1698, and Fairfield Parish became its lower part; the upper part was formed from an area known to locals as Bowtracy Parish. It was represented in 1785, when the Episcopal Church of Virginia held its first convention, and it sent representatives intermittently to conventions until 1799. It was later disestablished, and its fortunes declined; by 1857 Bishop

William Meade William Meade (November 11, 1789March 14, 1862) was an American Episcopal bishop, the third Bishop of Virginia. Early life His father, Colonel Richard Kidder Meade (1746–1805), one of George Washington's aides during the American Revolutiona ...

could note that there was no active church or parish in the entire county. Renewed interest after the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

led to the purchase of land in 1874 for the purpose of erecting a new church. Materials were shipped down the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

from

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

to build the structure, and it was completed and consecrated in 1881. Notably, the

cornerstone A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry Foundation (engineering), foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entir ...

states that the original name of the church was Emmanuel Church, but this appears never to have been used. In 2006, the church was involved in a

schism A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...

in the Episcopal Church when a majority of its congregants voted to become

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

and join the

Church of Nigeria The Church of Nigeria is the Anglicanism, Anglican Church body, church in Nigeria. It is the second-largest Province (Anglican), province in the Anglican Communion, as measured by baptised membership (not by attendance), after the Church of Englan ...

instead of remaining Episcopalian. Following the schism the majority took the name Light of Christ Anglican Church. Some three dozen of those in the minority left, reforming as St. Stephen's Episcopal Church and meeting in various locations, such as a rented house nearby and a Methodist church. They sued for control of the church building and its related properties, including the parish hall, the cemetery, and a house next door; the suit was resolved in their favor in 2012, and an Episcopal congregation once again occupies the building, having returned on

Palm Sunday Palm Sunday is the Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in each of the four canonical Gospels. Its name originates from the palm bran ...

of that year. The Anglican congregation, which is now part of the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic of the

Anglican Church in North America The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) is a Christian denomination in the Anglican tradition in the United States and Canada. It also includes ten congregations in Mexico, two mission churches in Guatemala, and a missionary diocese in Cuba. ...

, meets elsewhere in Heathsville. The congregation hosts a Strawberry Festival each year.

Gallery

File:St. Stephens Episcopal Church, Heathsville, VA - 2010 - 2.jpg, Full view of the church, taken in May 2010 File:St. Stephens Episcopal Church, Heathsville, VA - 2010 - 4.jpg, Historical marker at the church File:St. Stephens Episcopal Church, Heathsville, VA - 2010 - 11.jpg, Cemetery behind the church File:St. Stephens Episcopal Church, Heathsville, VA - 2010 - 6.jpg, Church parish hall File:St. Stephens Episcopal Church, Heathsville, VA - 2010 - 10.jpg, A stained glass window of the church

References

External links

St. Stephen's Episcopal Church website

St. Stephen's historical marker
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Stephen's Church, Heathsville, Virginia Churches completed in 1881 19th-century Episcopal church buildings Churches in Northumberland County, Virginia Episcopal churches in Virginia Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Carpenter Gothic church buildings in Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Northumberland County, Virginia Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Virginia 1881 establishments in Virginia