Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 09/09/1969
NRHP Listing Date 10/15/1966
NHL Listing Date 05/30/1961
DHR's Virginia Board of Historic Resources easement
NRHP Reference Number 66000841 (no formal nomination)
Enhanced by its quiet rural setting, Christ Church is without peer among Virginia’s colonial churches in the quality of its architecture and state of preservation. The cruciform structure was commissioned by Robert (“King”) Carter, the most prosperous and influential of Virginia’s colonial planters. Completed by 1735, the exterior is set off by its beautiful brickwork, especially the molded brick doorways, the nation’s finest examples of their type. The tall arched windows of Christ Church, with their original sash, are accented by sandstone keystones, imposts, and sills, as well as by gauged brick voussoirs. The original interior fittings include the paneled box pews, triple-decker pulpit, and walnut altarpiece. In the churchyard are the richly carved tombs of Carter and his two wives. Still a functioning Episcopal church, the Lancaster County property is maintained by the Foundation for Historic Christ Church.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: January 10, 2022
