St. Paul's Episcopal Church began in 1809 in a small building on South Fairfax Street between Prince and Duke Streets. In 1817, one of the country's most famous architects, Benjamin Latrobe, was chosen to design the present church. He was born in England and came to this country in 1796. Appointed by President Jefferson in 1803 as surveyor of public buildings in Washington, D.C., Latrobe completed the U.S. Capitol begun by William Thorton and designed Statuary Hall. In 1807, he completed the White House, designed both porticos, and later restored the building after the War of 1812. An outstanding example of American architecture, inspired by the Gothic churches in Europe, St. Paul's is said to have been modeled after St. James Church, Piccadilly, London.

In 1832, after the fledgling seminary at Williamsburg had failed, the Rev. Reuel Keith and Dr. William Wilmer, determined to keep the idea of a seminary alive, met at St. Paul's with a class of 14 young men, forming the nucleus of Virginia Theological Seminary, which flourishes today.

On Feb. 9, 1862, the Rev. K.J. Stewart was arrested by Union officers after failing to offer a prayer for the President during the height of the Civil War. A melee occurred in the sanctuary as the congregation attempted to defend its minister. On that same day, a warning was issued to “females and others,” threatening arrest for offensive remarks and demonstrations—prompted, no doubt, by the actions of several St. Paul's ladies, including one who is said to have dropped her Prayer Book down from the gallery onto the head of an offending officer.

On June 28, 1862, St. Paul's was seized and used as a hospital for Federal forces until the spring of 1865. It was at the Appomatox Courthouse, home of a St. Paul's parishioner, Wilmer McLean, that Robert E. Lee surrendered on April 9, 1865. Currently, St. Paul's participates in The Lazarus Ministry, Saturday School, ALIVE, Carpenter's Shelter, Christ House, Community Lodgings, Rebuilding Together, the Alexandria Tutoring Consortium, and the Northern Virginia AIDS Ministry (NOVAM).

- from "The History of St. Paul's Episcopal Church" by Ruth Lincoln Kaye