Bremo Slave Chapel

Bremo Slave Chapel is a wooden structure in Fluvanna County, Virginia, built with board-and-batten construction and featuring Gothic Revival details such as pointed arches and decorative trim. The building sits on a brick foundation laid in stretcher bond pattern, a common masonry technique of its time.

John Hartwell Cocke built this chapel in 1835 specifically for enslaved people at Bremo plantation, making it the only known slave chapel in Virginia. The structure was relocated to Bremo Bluff in 1884, where it later became associated with Grace Episcopal Church as a parish hall.

The chapel's interior once served enslaved people as a place where they could gather for worship and learn to read, activities that were rarely permitted on Virginia plantations during that era.

The chapel sits on private grounds and is best viewed from the exterior, though the Grace Episcopal Church parish sometimes allows visits during special occasions. Contacting the church in advance is recommended to ensure access and proper timing.

The chapel is remarkable because it represents one owner's attempt to provide a dedicated religious space for enslaved people, a practice that left almost no other documented examples across the South. This isolation makes it a rare witness to how enslaved individuals might have gathered for worship.

Location: Virginia

Inception: 1835

Architects: John Hartwell Cocke

Architectural style: Gothic Revival

GPS coordinates: 37.71690,-78.29750

Latest update: December 14, 2025 11:01