Top of page

View of Christ Church, Alexandria, Virginia. Photo by Robert Brammer.
View of Christ Church, Alexandria, Virginia. Photo by Robert Brammer

Christ Church, Alexandria, Virginia – Pic of the Week

Share this post:

Two hundred and fifty years ago on Monday, February 27, 1773, the building of an Anglican church was completed in Alexandria, Virginia. This particular church has historical importance because of its association with George Washington, local planter, commanding general of the Continental Army, president of the Constitutional Convention, and first President of the United States

Before emerging upon the world stage, Washington had been a community leader in Fairfax County, Virginia. One community leadership position involved being elected to the church vestry of Truro parish in 1762. As a member of the vestry, he would have been concerned primarily with matters of the parish, some of which, such as the collection of taxes to support the established church, would have secular traits. Because of its closeness to Mt. Vernon, Washington purchased a pew at the newly consecrated Christ church in 1773, and would go on to serve as a warden.   

Christ church was designed by James Wren, a descendant of the famed English architect Sir Christopher Wren.  

Subscribe to In Custodia Legis – it’s free! – to receive interesting posts drawn from the Law Library of Congress’s vast collections and our staff’s expertise in U.S., foreign, and international law.

Comments (2)

  1. Thank you for highlighting this historic anniversary of Christ Church. I’m also wondering if in the description of George Washington it might be indicated that he was also a slave holder (local planter) in order that we remember the whole history of the times.

  2. On a recent visit to Christ Church, (Alexandria, Virginia) I couldn’t help but notice the Jewish menorah in the sanctuary. Is there some significance to it?

    I did just learn that there is a Christ Church in Jerusalem. It was referred to as the “first Protestant church” there.
    Is there any connection between the two?

Add a Comment

This blog is governed by the general rules of respectful civil discourse. You are fully responsible for everything that you post. The content of all comments is released into the public domain unless clearly stated otherwise. The Library of Congress does not control the content posted. Nevertheless, the Library of Congress may monitor any user-generated content as it chooses and reserves the right to remove content for any reason whatever, without consent. Gratuitous links to sites are viewed as spam and may result in removed comments. We further reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to remove a user's privilege to post content on the Library site. Read our Comment and Posting Policy.


Required fields are indicated with an * asterisk.