Trinity Episcopal Church (Staunton, Virginia) facts for kids
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Trinity Episcopal Church
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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Trinity Episcopal Church
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 Location in Virginia
Location in the United States
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| Location | 214 West Beverley Street, Staunton, Virginia |
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| Area | 9.9 acres (4.0 ha) |
| Built | 1855 |
| Architect | Taylor, Edwin M. |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 72001532 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | May 5, 1972 |
The Trinity Episcopal Church in Staunton, Virginia, is a beautiful building built in the Gothic Revival style. This means it looks like the grand churches from the Middle Ages in Europe. It's an active Episcopal church, which is a type of Christian church.
This historic church was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1972. This list includes important places that are worth protecting. You can find Trinity Episcopal Church in the Newtown Historic District in Staunton.
Contents
A Look Back: The Church's History
The building you see today is actually the third church built on this spot! The church started way back in 1746. It was first known as Augusta Parish Church. In 1747, Reverend John Hindman became its first rector, which is like the main pastor of the church.
For many years, Augusta Parish Church was very important. It even served as the only local government for Augusta County until 1780. That's when the Parish Vestry (a group of church leaders) was officially ended by law. This makes it the oldest church in Staunton.
A really cool historical event happened here in May 1781. The Virginia General Assembly, which is like Virginia's state government, had to quickly leave Monticello. British troops were getting too close! So, they came to Staunton and held their meetings right inside Augusta Parish Church. This happened from June 7 to June 23 of that year.
The Church Building: Then and Now
Trinity Church, founded as Augusta Parish in 1746, is not only the oldest church in Staunton but also one of the first Episcopal churches west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The very first church building was finished in 1763.
The current church, the third one on this site, was designed by an English architect named James Wood Johns. It was built between 1852 and 1855. It shows the Early Gothic Revival style, which was popular at the time. Over the years, the church has been changed quite a bit. For example, the aisles were made wider between 1869 and 1872. The chancel, which is the area around the altar, was made longer in 1887.
The inside of the church has also been updated many times. This happened in 1907, 1936, 1955, and 2000. In 1957, the interior was rebuilt again to make space for a huge 20-ton organ!
More recently, the church buildings had a big makeover in 1999–2000. New air conditioning and electrical systems were put in. The beautiful stained glass windows were cleaned, fixed, and given new protective glass. A new organ was also installed in 2000 as part of this big renovation. The church even has an outdoor brick labyrinth, which is a winding path for walking and quiet thinking. This was added in 2010.
Amazing Stained Glass Windows
One of the most special things about Trinity Church is its incredible collection of stained-glass windows. These windows are true works of art! You can see five different styles of glass in the church.
Early Windows: Diamond Shapes and Bright Colors
The oldest windows in the church are from the 1850s. They don't show pictures of people or scenes. Instead, they have diamond-shaped pieces of glass. The colors are usually a light white and a pale brown. But the borders are super colorful! They have bright clear glass in deep blue, green, and yellow. These borders also have painted black swirly patterns and red panes with flower designs in the corners. Five of these original windows are still in the church today. You can see one rose-shaped window in the tower (though not from inside). There are also two windows on each side of the entrance, at the bottom of the tower.
Arts and Crafts Style: Jewels and Bright Designs
The second style of glass in Trinity Church shows the Arts and Crafts Movement. This was a very important American style in glassmaking. Around 1825, American companies found a new way to make glass. They could press melted glass with a metal tool to create shapes like "jewels" and flowers. Even though this was often used for dishes, it also made its way into church windows.
These windows have geometric designs, often with bright colors and faceted glass "jewels." Examples of this style include the Passion Window and the Trinity Window (from about 1872-1880) on the west side of the church. The Narcissus Window (from about 1887) in the east aisle is another beautiful example.
Symbolic Windows: Christian Meanings
The third type of American glass in Trinity Church features Christian symbols. These symbols are set against colorful glass backgrounds. The Geometrical Window in the west aisle is a great example of this style. It's the only window left that was designed by a famous New York company called Sharp and Steele.
This tall, narrow window is from the mid-1870s. It has eight round medallions (like circular pictures) set against red backgrounds with deep blue borders. Different painting techniques were used to create these designs. When the chancel was first made bigger, there were at least seven Sharp and Steele windows there. Old photos show them clearly.
Opalescent Windows: Tiffany's Masterpieces
Around the early 1900s, people at Trinity Church started replacing some older windows with a new type of glass called "opalescent." This is the fourth style of glass you'll find here. Like the pressed glass, opalescent glass was a unique American invention. Famous artists like Louis Comfort Tiffany made this glass very popular.
Trinity Church has thirteen opalescent windows. One is by the well-known J&R Lamb Studios (The Nativity, from about 1905). The other twelve are by Louis Comfort Tiffany himself! These Tiffany windows were made between 1898 and 1936. They show a wide range of subjects and how Tiffany's style changed over time. Most of them even have his signature and some are dated. This collection of Tiffany windows is like a mini-museum of his work!
The oldest and perhaps most beautiful Tiffany window is The Ascension (1899). This large artwork is above the altar and is made up of three separate windows. Other Tiffany windows include:
- Angel with a Script and St. Luke in the chancel.
- Easter Morn (two windows), The Good Samaritan, Faith (Angel), and Madonna in the east aisle.
- St. Michael the Archangel and the Benedicite Window (which shows a garden) in the west aisle.
Even though Louis Comfort Tiffany asked for his special opalescent glass recipes to be destroyed when he died in 1933, his glass was still available until the early 1950s from his New York shop. The Madonna Window is the only one in Trinity Church from this later period.
Neo-Gothic Style: Back to Medieval Roots
After World War II, opalescent windows became less popular. American churches started to prefer windows that looked more like the medieval European church windows. These windows were made from small pieces of mouth-blown glass. They often showed both figures and symbols. Bright primary colors were common, along with greens and a little white.
Companies like J&R Lamb and others in the U.S. and England worked to meet this new demand. In 1946, Lamb Studios made the Wise Men Window. This was a companion to the Nativity Window they had made about forty years earlier for the same family. By then, Lamb's glass style had changed a lot. The Wise Men window is in a Neo-Gothic style, with deeper colors and sharper lines.
In 1948, a new donor chose Wippell Studios from England to create a window. This choice showed a connection to the English beginnings of the church. It also set the style for many of the church's future windows. Wippell, which later opened offices in New Jersey, designed nine windows for Trinity Church between 1948 and 1970. Their style looks like English Gothic windows, with bright, mostly primary colors. These windows include:
- The Communion and Missionary Windows in the west aisle.
- The Sermon on the Mount and the Jewels Triptych (three windows) in the chancel.
- Archbishop Crammer in the east aisle.
- The diocesan shields in the narthex (entrance area).
Life at Trinity Church Today
The current rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Staunton is the Reverend William A. J. Heine, also known as "AJ." He started working at the church in 2021. According to the church's website, Father AJ is very interested in helping people connect with each other and with God's love. He believes this is the best way to help the world.
The church also has one deacon, the Reverend Shirley E. Ruedy. A deacon is a special helper in the church who assists the rector and serves the community.
The church office is open from Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. During the summer, the office closes a bit earlier on Fridays, at 12:00 noon.
