Historic St. John's Church Reviews

Fantastical piece of history, the spot where Patrick Henry gave his "Hive me liberty or give me death" speech to Virginia delegates. The grounds and church, which is still an active place of worship, are well maintained. The living historian, Ray, was fantastic. He's a wealth or knowledge and a great orator.

Very warm and welcoming to new people in attendance. The sermon was relevant and inspiring. A must visit if you are looking for a positive church with a community feel.

If you look love American history then this is one place you want to stop by while you are in Richmond. They do reenactment but not everyday so check their schedule. It is a small church w small ground but interesting. Beside, Proper Pie Co is next door and you have to stop there and grab a pie anyway.

This church has so much history! There were costumed guides when we visited during the week to take us into the church and share the rich Revolutionary War history. I went back on Sunday to participate in the reenactment of Patrick Henry's "Give me Liberty" speech and the debate that included George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. The actors were superb and it was thrilling to be able to be included in the final "yea" or "nay" vote. This is a MUST for every American.

We came with our kids in a school trip. It was awesome.

Great tour from Ray! A must see for all Richmond visitors.

A flawless inside show. Energizing to the American patriot. But the administration though is a bit tightly wound, and does not appreciate outside reenactors, nor are guest reenactors recognized. Don't go as a reenactor, go as a sheep to a disney tourist attraction. The outside in line interaction is horrible. The inside scripting is good, the setting fantastic, the inside actors marvelous. $5 donation, give more if you can. Always get the advance brown bag tickets to get in early. Go, see the show. Stop after and meet the actors, they are knowledgable of the events of the time.

Definitely worth a visit even if you don't pay for the tour. Free to explore the grounds and check out the graves, including several of prominent people like Edgar Allan Poe's mother. Some gravestones date to 1700s and early 1800s. An incredible slice of early colonial American history.

A must see when you visit Richmond. This is the site of Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty, or give me death" speech. They have tours and reenactments.

Good place to take out-of-town visitors. Very historic and well worth visiting.

Outstanding experience. The guides clearly have a passion for the material and the era. Mr. Charlie Brown did a fantastic job setting the scene and transporting you through time.

Looked very nice from the outside, I sure wish they'd have more tours available!

The lady that was showing us around the grounds and giving us the history was VERY informative, with great detail! She had sych a sweet smile & was SO kind to our group!

Looks great from a distance. I will have to come back when I ts open.

Beautiful place, especially if you visit it in autumn you can appreciate the color of the leaves of the trees is really a beautiful place

Beautiful church, you can absolutely feel the history

Cool tour. Lots of info and a perspective that was different. Guide was very knowledgeable.

They are willing to work with the city schools and provide a program for free to Title I schools.

Don't even get me started. #MoneyBeforeHistory #PowerAndControlOverPreservation.
At least the warden was nice and he tried.

My go to local church. They also have a great Young Adults Group. Psst.... E A Poe's mom is buried here.

Saw the Give me liberty of give me death performance. Well done!
Performers made you feel you were part of the original event. You are given a chance to speak to them about their performance and the history or the event.

Intro gave context of the original meeting.

The church is beautiful on the inside.

Buy tickets in advance. Arrive early for parking.

So much history. I went for the Give me Libery or give me Death reenactment. Arrived early and shoppes at the well stocked gift shop. Got in line 1/2 hour early and they has a tour guide provide extensive historical information about the church and cemetary aa well as answer questions. This is a gem to be experienced if you enjoy history. The actors were very convincing in their portrayal of those men that helped shape this country.

Great place to visit if you like history. Docent was very informative and interesting. Great with children.

Phenomenal experience to be able to feel like you're going back in time and observe the events portrayed by great actors on behalf of our founding father's.

I really enjoyed stopping here and taking in the abundant history. We paid for a tour and was slightly disappointed that it's not really a tour at all, rather a sort of lecture. There was a guy in colonial costume who led us into the church to pews where he proceeded to lecture us a history of the church and a brief history of Patrick Henry and his famous speech. He did a very nice job. Then we were let go. So it really wasn't a tour at all which I sort of had the impression that maybe he would walk us through the grounds and other small outlying buildings and give us tours of the interiors of those as well. That being said, I didn't mind donating to the non-profit preservation organization who does the grounds upkeep which is really good. I really enjoyed walking around on my own just thinking that George Washington and other patriots once walked in the spots I was walking. Neat stuff. God Bless America!

It's always amazing to visit places still around from history. Nice tour and history lesson.

A long line of ancestry connects me to St. John's. Its history the family is proud of. When you meet the church members, humbly attend different forums & services, the quality & character of the people becomes apparent & visible. The grounds echo time & Church Hill is a lovely site for this historic church. I like the members & their welcoming congenial ways.

Beautiful church where a the famous speech of Patrick Henry is preformed. Take note, they sing all the songs of the Armed Services. And they way you to stand as they sing. I was the only former Marine there, ie, the only one standing.

They have great special programs. I cannot recommend their July 4th program highly enough. Fabulous!!

Beautiful historic experience, for both adults and children!

Just missed the cutoff for a tour. I'll check back. Being able to visit places like this puts the reality of what this country has been through into perspective. It also reminded me how far, and truly how fast, we have fallen from our God fearing roots.

Very interesting & one of the best tour guides I have ever had. Really made history come to life. Didn't realize just how important Patrick Henry was to our history. Best of all the historical sites in Richmond.

Virginia has plenty History. St. John's church definitely is worth to visit. Due to COVID-19 they are only doing tours of the church and the cemetery, hopefully they can go back to do the reenactment of Patrick, Henry soon.

Wonderful part of history and Ann, our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and engaging.

History humbles me and often leads to goosebumps! "Give me liberty or give me death"

Right in the middle of historic Church Hill, this wonderful historic property is a great place to visit while taking in the sites of Richmond's oldest neighborhood!

Wonderful place to take a tour and enjoy the gift shop

Wonderful gathering, good food and Christian fellowship.

Visited here with my family for both the graveyard and church tour. Such a gorgeous and informative place!! Our church guide Andrew was captivating and incredibly entertaining!! Definitely sign up for both tours if you can - they are so worth it - and make sure to check out the gift shop on your way out!!

Where Patrick Henry gave his give me liberty or give me death speech. Beautifully maintained.

Patrick Henry was wise to George the III and knew what was coming. It was here at this location that he was inspired to bring his resolutions for a vote. It was close, but the motion was carried. If you value your Liberty and recognize that it's not by accident, I encourage you to but the $5 advance ticket for a good seat and experience this historic event that led to the Revolution.

We wanted to visit the church where Patrick Henry made his famous "Liberty or Death!" speech in 1775. It so happened that we were able to attend 10:30 AM Sunday worship (called "Holy Eucharist") and get a brief tour afterwards from a kind and informative Warden of the old buildings and grounds named Horace. It was an old-fashioned liturgical service probably not much changed from the 18th century, except that women were in charge of the whole thing - a bit disconcerting to this old Bible thumper. But anyone who considers himself a patriot should visit and give a shout in the old, "East-West" wing:
"Give me Liberty or give me DEATH!"

Beautiful historic church, great guides and presentations.

A very interesting historical place, the local guide dressed in the ancient uniform was so inspiring, he really lives history! I was delighted.

A little church with a lot of heart! Very welcoming, friendly folks. Great neighborhood--walkable, plenty of good restaurants, bakeries, and historic sites all close by. The new rector at St. John's is terrific. Good, relevant preaching. And not your typical priest. She's been to Burning Man the past two years!

Historically inaccurate flags (really, in 1776 our great Patriots displayed a Betsy Ross Flag with the number 76 in the center of the circle of 13 stars? Haha!) and other accessories on this property.

Beautiful church steeped in history. Definitely worth a visit! Check out their website for tour info.

I recommend experiencing the tour. Where you get to explore the inside of the church. You won't be disappointed.

Best place for an Irish festival in Richmond. Beautiful historical church with amazing reinactment over summer of the Liberty or Death speech.

Patriotic fervor reenacted brilliantly. For a few minutes, I was taken to 1775.

Amazing congregation, staff, and priest! Beautiful historic church. Best of the best!

The reinactment of the assembly of lawmakers who debated for freedom from Great Britain in the 1700's was amazing!

Who doesn't love history ??? Patrick Henry to Edgar Alan Poe ! Very pleasant gift shop !

It was a very good presentation. The fact that we were in the actual building where the event took place made the biggest impact.

Well done,informative tour,friendly people. Thank you St.John's.

Blessed place ! Aside from its amazing historical significance to America, the stained glass windows are well worth the trip. Gloriously beautiful. The tour guides are a treasure of knowledge and the Give me liberty or give me death speech by one of the guides will long be remembered. Thank you!

Betty made our visit very enjoyable for our grandchildren. She made them apart of the presentation.

Wonderful, costumed tour. It wasn't the "reenactment" but he did act out the speech. I learned lots. Highly recommended.

Reenactments of Patrick Henry's speech are superb, the locale are exemplary, and it all goes even better with a walk around Church Hill and a pint at Patrick Henry pub a block up

Fantastic experience! Ray was our tour guide and was perfect. We are civil war reenactors and also attorneys, he was thrilled to talk all things history with us as well about Patrick Henry's legal career. His interpretation in the church was very lively and entertaining.

Took the tour and found the whole experience eye opening.

Beautiful old church. Very friendly people with a lot of info on the history.

Beautiful grounds to walk, learn history, envision the Patriots gathering and reflect on perhaps the most crucial portion of American history.