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Initially the pews were box pews and a two-tier pulpit was situated on the north side of the sanctuary. There was no font because until after the Civil War, weddings, baptisms, and the churching of women took place at home. In the mid-nineteenth century, stoves were put in the back of the church and the box pews were converted to the slips that are in use today. During a renovation later that century, the original pulpit was replaced by the current wine-glass pulpit. The only remaining hand-carved hymnal rack is in the Lee pew. The plaques on either side of the chancel were hand-lettered by Wren and have never been retouched. They display the [[Decalogue]], the [[Lord's Prayer]], the [[Apostles' Creed]], and the [[Golden Rule]]. Wren used ink and then varnished his work just as an artist varnishes a finished painting. Over time the carbon in the ink and the alcohol in the varnish formed an acetate that created the wonderful burnished patina of the plaques. If you look closely, you can see Wren's brushstrokes and one drip.
[[George Washington]], [[Henry Lee III|Henry Lee]], [[Robert E. Lee]], [[Charles Simms (lawyer)|Charles Simms]], Philip Marsteller, and [[Henry H. Fowler|Henry Fowler]] are a few of the church's notable parishioners (members). Until the twenty-first century, it was tradition for sitting presidents to attend a service. [[Franklin Roosevelt]], [[Winston Churchill]], and [[Eleanor Roosevelt]] visited the church on January 1, 1942 to commemorate World Day of Prayer for Peace. The church was known as Fairfax Church until given the name Christ Church in 1816. It was declared a [[National Historic Landmark]] in 1970.<ref name="nhlsum"/><ref name="nrhpinv2">{{Cite
==Description and history==
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