A historic Virginia church is relocating two plaques in its sanctuary honoring George Washington and the Confederate general Robert E Lee, who both worshipped there.

Leaders of Christ church in Alexandria sent a letter to congregation members on Thursday, explaining the decision. It said the leaders decided the plaques, which have hung either side of the altar since 1870, were creating a distraction and “may create an obstacle to our identity as a welcoming church”.

The decision comes after white nationalists and neo-Nazis descended on Charlottesville, Virginia, in August for rallies that erupted into violence. One counter-protester was killed and 19 injured when a car was driven into a crowd on a narrow street.

The fallout from those events and others, including the shooting dead of nine people at an African American church in South Carolina in 2015, have sparked debate about symbols of the Confederacy and the legacy of slavery.

Lee led the army of northern Virginia in the civil war, which was fought from 1861 to 1865 over the issue of slavery. Washington, who led American forces against the British in the revolutionary war from 1776 to 1783, also owned slaves.

The Rev Noelle York-Simmons, rector of the Episcopal church, told the Washington Post the plaques’ fate had been discussed for years. Members of the 1,800-strong congregation “responded beautifully and faithfully, listening in a lot of ways that showed our church at its best”, she said.

The letter to congregation members said church leaders thought it was important for both plaques to be considered together.



“This was not a discussion we entered into lightly,” it said, “but rather a sincere attempt to have a family conversation about our worship space, our larger history and our future.”

It added: “We understand that both Washington and Lee lived in times much different than our own, and that each man, in addition to his public persona, was a complicated human being, and like all of us, a child of God.”