George Washington’s Bible Returns Home to Christ Church for Rare Sunday Display

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Some pieces of history are so closely tied to Alexandria that they almost feel like neighbors.

One of those treasures returns to Christ Church Alexandria this Sunday.

George Washington’s personal Bible—normally kept at nearby Mount Vernon—will be on display during Sunday services, giving worshippers and visitors a rare opportunity to see one of the most personal artifacts connected to America’s first president inside the very church where he once worshiped.

The Bible has been part of Christ Church’s story for more than 220 years.

According to Christ Church historians, George Washington Parke Custis—Martha Washington’s grandson and George Washington’s adopted grandson—presented the Bible to the church in April 1804, just a few years after Washington’s death. Today, the Bible is ordinarily housed at George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate and returns to Christ Church only for special occasions, making Sunday’s display an uncommon opportunity for the public.

For visitors unfamiliar with Christ Church, the building itself is almost as remarkable as the Bible.

Completed in 1773 and designed by architect James Wren, Christ Church stands at the corner of North Washington and Cameron streets in the heart of Old Town. The handsome Georgian church has welcomed generations of Alexandrians for more than 250 years and remains an active Episcopal parish while also serving as one of the city’s most important historic landmarks.

George Washington’s connection to the church went far beyond occasional attendance.

He helped finance its construction and, when ten box pews were auctioned to raise money to complete the building, Washington purchased Pew No. 5 for £36.10—the highest price paid by any parishioner. His diary records that he attended services there shortly after the church opened in 1773, and Christ Church remained his parish whenever he was in Alexandria.

Visitors today can still see—and during docent-led tours, even step inside—Washington’s restored box pew, one of the church’s most popular historic features. It remains a tangible reminder that before he became an icon of American history, Washington was simply another member of the congregation.

Seeing the Bible in that setting creates an unusually personal connection to the past.

This is not the famous George Washington Inaugural Bible used during the first presidential inauguration in New York in 1789. Instead, it is one of Washington’s own family Bibles, entrusted to Christ Church by the young man he and Martha Washington raised at Mount Vernon.

That gift linked the Washington family to Christ Church forever.

For one Sunday, visitors can stand inside the same sanctuary where Washington worshiped, look toward the pew he purchased more than 250 years ago, and see one of his own Bibles resting only a few feet away.

History rarely feels that close.