5 Catholic sites in Virginia you won’t want to miss

Whether or not Virginia is for lovers, it’s a state that’s easy to love. Site of the first English settlement in the Americas—at Jamestown—and the breathtaking Appalachian mountains, Virginia is a beautiful place to spend time.

The first Catholic missionaries arrived there in the 1570s. These Spanish Jesuit priests’ mission ended quickly in a massacre near the site of the later Jamestown settlement. 

In the 1600s and 1700s, Catholicism was forbidden in the Old Dominion, until a new law 1786 allowed for more religious freedom.

That law changed everything. Nine years later, the state saw the establishment of its first Catholic church, St. Mary's in Alexandria. 

President George Washington himself made the first contribution for the creation of this Catholic parish.

The Catholic community grew, leading to the establishment of the Diocese of Richmond in 1820 and later the Diocese of Arlington in 1974. Today some 10 percent of the state population is Catholic, about 700,000 people.

Whether you’re visiting Virginia or call the Old Dominion home, check out these historical and beautiful Catholic sites. Any would be a wonderful place to go on a pilgrimage, perhaps with friends, family, or a parish group.

Founded in 1795, the basilica is the first Catholic parish in the Commonwealth of Virginia and West Virginia, which were one state territory up until 1863.

And yes, George Washington donated to it, part of his overall religiously tolerant attitude. (There’s an old legend that he became Catholic on his deathbed, but it’s never been proven.)

The first church was built in 1795 at the south end of the city on Church and South Washington Streets, under the guidance of the Very Reverend Francis Ignatius Neale, S.J.—the priest who was good friends with Washington. 

In 1810, the parish moved to its present location in the heart of the city at 310 South Royal Street. The land later became, and still remains today, the first Catholic cemetery in Virginia.

Today, the basilica continues to be a vibrant and lively parish community.

This beautiful old parish has a fascinating history—from Masses held in train cars, to being a field hospital in war.

Its story began in 1838, when two Catholic families donated land to the Diocese of Richmond for use as a church and Catholic cemetery. The cemetery was created immediately, but the church took longer. Priests from St. Mary’s in Alexandria traveled to Fairfax to minister to the local Catholics, mostly Irish immigrant railroad workers, and often said Mass for them in boxcars standing at Fairfax Station.

In 1858 the bishop of Richmond laid the cornerstone for the new St. Mary’s and designated it a mission of St. Mary’s in Alexandria. The men of the parish built the church with rough-hewn lumber logged from the forest surrounding the site. 

During the Civil War, the land around St. Mary’s became the scene of frequent, violent skirmishes. In 1862, during the Second Battle of Bull Run, Clara Barton used the church grounds as a field hospital. The wounded were laid out all around, many on pews taken from the church. 

The historic church has changed little in appearance since its 1860 dedication. The original wood pews were destroyed during the Civil War, and tradition holds that the President U.S. Grant ordered the installation of the present seats as restitution when he learned of the damage Union troops inflicted on the church. 

The parish eventually outgrew its one-room clapboard structure and built a larger church—even more beautiful than the previous one—dedicated in 2020. The historic church continues as the site of weddings, baptisms, funeral Masses and special outdoor Masses. Indeed, it is highly sought after for these occasions because of its beauty and the traditions surrounding it.

Many churches in Virginia are plain and simple, with little decoration. St. John the Apostle is a simple church but among the most beautiful in the state. The parish began as “the little church on King Street” in 1878, and a much larger church building was completed in 2012. 

This parish is home to Trinity House Community, an incredibly cool Catholic ministry that inspires families to make home a taste of heaven, for the renewal of faith and culture. (We’ve covered it here and here.) 

When you’re in the area, don’t miss a visit to Trinity House Café + Market, a delightful Catholic coffee shop with a robust program of events. It feels like you’ve walked into Heaven and is well worth traveling to visit, even from far away.

In the late 1700s, the majority of Catholics in Virginia lived in Alexandria, Norfolk, or wherever railroad tracks were being laid. Until 1873, Catholics in Falls Church traveled to Alexandria or Georgetown to attend Mass, except for rare occasions when a Jesuit priest made the trip to Falls Church to say Mass in the Sewall home.  

The people petitioned their bishop for a church, leading him to establish St. James as a mission of St. Mary’s Parish in Alexandria in 1873.  For the next 18 years, Jesuit priests traveled from St. Mary’s by horse or train every 3 weeks to celebrate Mass in a white clapboard mission church that parishioners built in 1874.

In 1892, the small mission received formal recognition as a parish, becoming the only Catholic Church between St. Mary’s in Alexandria and St. Peter’s in Harper’s Ferry. A larger stone church was completed in 1902, and this structure is still in use today, albeit expanded in the 1950s.

While the church’s beauty is noteworthy, our most compelling reason to visit would be to hear the preaching of its pastor.

The parish began in 1879, and the first pastor had an arduous job, traveling by horseback through the counties of Rockbridge, Alleghany, Bath, Botetourt, Craig and Roanoke to visit the sparse and scattered Catholic population. 

As the Catholic community grew, they built a small brick church in 1882—but quickly outgrew it. A larger church was dedicated in 1902 and is still in use today. 

This twin-spired Gothic structure is comparable to French cathedrals, a work of art and majesty. One of the most beautiful churches in Virginia, you can take an online tour of this stunning edifice on the church website. 

Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Richmond

Don’t miss the musical splendor at this luminous site. 

Besides being a gorgeous church building, the cathedral is notable for its popular concert series, well worth attending if you’re in Richmond.