Vauter's Church Cemetery in Loretto, Virginia

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Get directions 3661 Tidewater Trail, Loretto, Virginia 22509, United States

Coordinates: 38.08699, -77.06864
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Vauter's Church stands in a tree shaded church yard on the north side of Route 17 near Loretto in Essex County. Vauter's is the upper Church of St. Anne's Parish, which was formed from Sittingbourne Parish in 1704. This building is the parish's second upper church, and is believed to have been built in two stages. The original rectangular portion of the building apparently was built in 1719, and the south wing of conforming style was added in 1731.

It is regarded as one of the most graceful examples of colonial ecclesiastical architecture in Virginia. Standing in an unusually good state of preservation, the church is noted for the beauty of its brickwork, especially its fine molded brick doorways and its skillful use of glazed headers. Vauter's preserves a large proportion of its original fabric such as doors, trim, and interior fittings. The original three-decker pulpit which stood in the east end was replaced in 1827 with a Bishop Hobart-type pulpit. The present front panels in the pulpit may have been retained from the original. The flagstones of the nave and wing aisles are probably original. The slip pews with doors have the original benches and part of the sides, but these sides were cut down in 1827. Vauter's owns part of a silver conmunion service made in 1724 by William Pearson of London.