Trinity Episcopal Church

About this property

The Trinity Episcopal Church, Staunton VA. is a Gothic Revival style building in Staunton, Virginia. It is an active Episcopal church in the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1972. It is located in the Newtown Historic District. The current building is the third church building that has been built on the site. Founded first as Augusta Parish Church in 1746. In 1747, the Reverend John Hindman became the first rector. This church, Augusta Parish Church, served as the only government of Augusta County until 1780, when the Parish Vestry was dissolved by legislative act. It is the oldest church in Staunton. In May 1781, the Virginia General Assembly fled Monticello ahead of advancing British troops, and landed in Staunton, where they set up the assembly in Augusta Parish Church, from June 7 to June 23 of that same year. Founded in 1746 as Augusta Parish, Trinity is the oldest church in Staunton and one of the first Episcopal congregations west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The first building was completed in 1763. English architect James Wood Johns designed the present church, the third on the site, which was built between 1852 and 1855 in the Early Gothic Revival style. Subsequent additions and renovations have significantly altered the original appearance of the simple brick building. The aisles were widened in 1869-72 and the chancel was extended in 1887. In 1907, 1936, 1955, and 2000 the interior was refurbished. The interior was again rebuilt in 1957, due to the addition of a 20-ton organ. The church properties underwent a massive renovation in 1999–2000. Air conditioning and new electrical systems were added. The stained glass windows were cleaned, repaired, and fitted with new protective glass. The current organ was installed in 2000, as part of the renovation. The church also offers an outdoor brick labyrinth, which was added in 2010. One of the great artistic treasures in historic Staunton is the magnificent array of stained-glass windows in Trinity Church. Five distinct styles of glass can be discerned. The oldest windows in the church, which date from the 1850s, consist of non-figurative glass cut into diamond-shaped pieces. The colors alternate between a translucent white and a pale sepia. The borders, on the other hand, consist of brilliant clear glass in deep colors --- sapphire blue, emerald green, topaz yellow---overlaid with a painted black scroll pattern and joined by clear red panes with painted rosette designs in the corners. Five of these windows survive in sitù. They include the rose-shaped window in the tower, which is not visible inside, and two windows below on each side of the entrance, which is in the lower part of the tower.

Location

Categories

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

More in Staunton County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Staunton County.

More historic places in Virginia

Browse all historic places in Virginia.

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Virginia history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.