Blandford Church, Colonial church in Petersburg, United States
Blandford Church is a colonial church building in Petersburg, Virginia, standing on Wells Hill, the highest point of the city. It sits directly next to Blandford Cemetery and is built in plain brick in the early 18th-century style.
The church was built in 1736, making it one of the oldest surviving structures in Petersburg. During the Civil War, it was used as a field hospital and telegraph station, especially after the Battle of the Crater in 1864.
The interior holds 13 stained glass windows made by Louis Comfort Tiffany, each dedicated to a different American state. The colored light that filters through them gives the room a particular quality that draws visitors from far away.
Access to the building is through guided tours only, so it helps to plan ahead before your visit. The hilltop location gives views over Petersburg, and it is worth setting aside time to walk through the adjacent cemetery as well.
The Tiffany windows here were paid for by former Confederate states as memorial pieces, which is an unusual origin for a set of art glass in a small colonial church. Each window carries the symbols of a specific state, turning the interior into a kind of glass memorial made after the war ended.
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