St. Paul's Church By: Ethan Fields

MGA was fortunate enough to be allowed to host their opening and closing sessions this year in the historic St. Pauls Church in downtown Richmond.  This church began construction in 1812 and was completed in 1814. It was built as an outgrowth of the monumental Episcopal Church near Broad and College Streets. The Greek Revival style church was designed by Thomas S. Stewart of Philadelphia and is capable of seating over 800 people, making it one of the largest churches in the Diocese of Virginia.

The church itself is oozing with history; it is listed under the official Virginia Landmarks register and the National Register of Historic Places. When the parish was created, it was erected as a memorial to 72 noteworthy Richmonders who died in a theatre fire on the church site in 1812. St. Paul’s quickly gathered a membership, including high level state officials and citizens of Richmond. The church was also quite revolutionary for it’s time, as it allowed for the baptisms, weddings, and funerals of both enslaved and free blacks. The congregation was also the site of the pre-inaugural prayer service of L. Douglas Wilder, the first African-American State governor.

When Richmond was chosen as the capital of the Confederacy in 1861, St. Paul’s would become famous in regards to the Civil War. General Robert E. Lee and his wife were given a pew and attended services as often as possible throughout the war. Confederate President Jefferson Davis was also a member of this church. In fact, it was  on April 2, 1865 at this church in his families booth, that President Davis was delivered the news that the Confederacy could no longer protect Richmond. Davis quickly and quietly left the church, and that afternoon he withdrew the Confederate army and government from the city. Fires broke out that ravaged and destroyed most of Richmond however, the church remained untouched.  

When asked about the reasons MGA chooses this church for the opening and closing sessions, Sharon Davies was able to speak very well on the churches behalf: “I remember in the 70s we would use the House and Senate chambers to do our sessions...when we outgrew those spaces that's when we began using the church.” She also said the church was convenient in many ways: “It fits everyone, it’s a nice location, it looks good and it helps set the serious tone of MGA.”  Mrs. Davies noted the churches appearance and design: “...Oh it’s a beautiful church! I love going to look at it. It’s a church that many people go out of their way to see.”

St. Paul’s Church is a site than holds significant historical value not only to our nation, but to our great program. Unfortunately, the esteemed location will be undergoing renovations next year, but a new location in in the works for MGA 2019!