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Christ Church (Lancaster)
Encyclopedia
Christ Church or Historic Christ Church of Lancaster County
, Virginia
is an historic Episcopal church. Christ Church is notable for its unique Georgian
design. The church is the only colonial Virginia church that still has its original high-backed pew
s and one of two that has maintained its original three-tiered pulpit
.
John Carter’s son Robert, a wealthy vestry
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. The unknown architect endowed the structure with many of the hallmarks of the Georgian
style, including a formal, symmetrical layout, pediment
ed facades, and classical
detail.
Among the more noted features of the interior of the church are its high-backed box pews, which held entire families at service, and its unique wineglass pulpit. In accordance with the attempts of the contemporary Anglican church to deemphasize mystery in religious observance, the pulpit is located in the center of the building, 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. 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 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 Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities
began work on restoration of the site.
Today, Christ Church, owned and operated as a museum by the non-profit Foundation for Historic Christ Church, has been almost completely restored to its 18th century appearance. The church was made a National Historic Landmark
in 1961.
Lancaster County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,567 people, 5,004 households, and 3,412 families residing in the county. The population density was 87 people per square mile . There were 6,498 housing units at an average density of 49 per square mile...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
is an historic Episcopal church. Christ Church is notable for its unique Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
design. The church is the only colonial Virginia church that still has its original high-backed pew
Pew
A pew is a long bench seat or enclosed box used for seating members of a congregation or choir in a church, or sometimes in a courtroom.-Overview:Churches were not commonly furnished with permanent pews before the Protestant Reformation...
s and one of two that has maintained its original three-tiered pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
.
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, a wealthy vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
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. The unknown architect endowed the structure with many of the hallmarks of the Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
style, including a formal, symmetrical layout, pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
ed facades, and classical
Classical architecture
Classical architecture is a mode of architecture employing vocabulary derived in part from the Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, enriched by classicizing architectural practice in Europe since the Renaissance...
detail.
Among the more noted features of the interior of the church are its high-backed box pews, which held entire families at service, and its unique wineglass pulpit. In accordance with the attempts of the contemporary Anglican church to deemphasize mystery in religious observance, the pulpit is located in the center of the building, 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. Christ Church was connected to Robert Carter’s Corotoman
Corotoman
Corotoman was a 17th and 18th century plantation on the Rappahannock River in Lancaster County, Virginia, United States. Corotoman was the residence of Robert Carter I , a colonial Governor of Virginia and one of the wealthiest men in the British colonies in North America...
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 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 Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities
Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities
Founded in 1889, the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities was the United States' first statewide historic preservation group. In 2003 the organization adopted the new name APVA Preservation Virginia to reflect a broader focus on statewide Preservation and in 2009 it shortened...
began work on restoration of the site.
Today, Christ Church, owned and operated as a museum by the non-profit Foundation for Historic Christ Church, has been almost completely restored to its 18th century appearance. The church was made a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1961.