Built in 1887, St Mary’s was home to the first black Episcopal congregation in DC, which was established in 1867. James Renwick, designer of the Smithsonian Castle, created the beautiful redbrick building especially for the congregation. Above the altar are French-made stained-glass windows that depict, among others, the African bishop and martyr St Cyprian. The church's Tiffany-designed Stanton window depicts an angel holding an orb of peace.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. George Washington University

0.13 MILES

Known as ‘G-dub’ or ‘GW,’ this university has been a bedrock of Washington identity since its founding in 1821. Besides shaping much of the American…

2. Textile Museum

0.21 MILES

This gem is the country’s only textile museum. Galleries spread over two floors hold exquisite fabrics and carpets. Exhibits revolve around a theme – say…

3. Watergate Complex

0.23 MILES

Designed by Italian architect Luigi Moretti and DC-based landscape architect Boris Timchenko and constructed between 1963 and 1971, this five-building…

4. University Yard

0.25 MILES

One of the best bits of the George Washington University campus, where Colonial-revival buildings flank a green park bedecked with roses and a statue of –…

5. State Department

0.33 MILES

The headquarters of the American diplomatic corps is a forbidding, well-guarded edifice – modernist, monolithic and unfriendly. In stark contrast are the…

6. National Academy of Sciences

0.44 MILES

Made up of approximately 2000 members, including almost 200 Nobel Prize winners, these are the folks the government hits up for scientific advice (whether…

7. Albert Einstein Memorial

0.48 MILES

The grounds in front of the National Academy of Sciences feature DC’s most huggable monument: Robert Berks' bronze 1978 statue of Albert Einstein. The…

8. Federal Reserve

0.48 MILES

‘The Fed,’ is the Olympus of the Gods of the American Economy. Housed in a monolithic white building that closely resembles a Soviet ministry, it is…