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Lee Chapel

Lee Chapel is an historic building found in Lexington, Virginia, on the campus of Washington & Lee University. It was constructed during 1867-1868 at the request of Robert E. Lee, who was serving as the President of the University (then known as Washington College) at the time, and after whom the building is named. The Victorian brick design was probably created by his son George Washington Custis Lee, with specifics being drawn up by Col. Thomas Williamson, an architect and professor of engineering at the neighboring Virginia Military Institute. Lee, along with much of the rest of the Lexington community, attended church services there for the duration of Lee's presidency.

When Lee died in 1870, he was buried beneath the chapel. His body remains there to this day, and for this reason among others, the Chapel is one of Lexington's many major historical tourist attractions.

The Chapel today includes a recumbent statue of Lee designed by Edward Valentine, a crypt (added on after Lee's burial) which contains much of Lee's family (including Lee himself, his wife, his mother, his famous father, a general in the American Revolutionary War, and many other members of the extended Lee family). Lee's favorite horse, Traveller, is buried on a plot just outside the Chapel, where students of Washington & Lee traditionally leave coins in hopes of being compensated with good fortune in their studies. The Chapel also includes a museum which examines the history of the families of George Washington, Lee (including Lee's office from his presidency, which has been meticulously preserved in almost exactly the same condition he left it in before he died), and Washington & Lee University itself.

Further, the Chapel continues to play an important role in the modern operation of Washington & Lee. Freshmen are brought here to receive a lecture from the President of the University's student-run Executive Committee on the school's famous Honor System. Important school-wide lectures, concerts, and other notable activities are also held here from time to time.

Lee Chapel is a National Historic Landmark. It is open for tours based on the following schedule:

April 1 through Oct. 31: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays.

Nov. 1 to March 31: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday and 1 to 4 p.m. on Sundays

• The Lee Chapel Homepage