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A local Suffolk artist has donated her time and talents to painting two renderings of Cypress Chapel Christian Church, which will celebrate its 275th anniversary on Sept. 21, 2025. 

Even before the nation was born, Cypress Chapel Christian Church was founded in the spot where it stands today. First called Chapel on the Cypress Swamp, the church remains in rural Suffolk near the Great Dismal Swamp Wildlife Refuge. 

To help celebrate the church’s history, Karen Sallaz visited Cypress Chapel Christian Church better to understand its historical significance to the Christian faith. 

“There is energy, I feel the energy from the people and the foundation,” Sallaz said while walking the property of Cypress Chapel Christian Church in the fall of 2024. 

Cypress Chapel Christian Church secretary Karen Bourne had previously met Sallaz while attending the Suffolk Downtown Street Festival on Sept. 14, 2024. Sallaz and other artists participated in the Suffolk Plein Air Festival, a competition in which artists quickly completed an entire piece of plein air artwork within 120 minutes. 

Inspired by her artistic capabilities, Bourne inquired about Sallaz’s possible interests in visiting Cypress Chapel Christian Church to potentially document the church. 

After initial discussions and agreement by the Cypress Chapel Christian Church 275th committee, the church purchased two paintings. The paintings will be used as part of the events planned to celebrate the 275th anniversary. 

“This just gave me so much joy to try and capture the spirit of this church,” Sallaz said. “I hope this makes you happy.”

While visiting the church, Sallaz said that she sat and reflected on its significance as a part of the community for the past 275 years. She then discussed an area outside of the church where she reflected on the type of painting she would render for the church.  

“You have an area of two trees that are grown together, and their roots are connected. That is a remembrance. I sat there for half an hour, and these paintings are what I took away from that visit,” Sallaz added. 

The church has a history of marking milestone anniversaries with artist renderings. A section of the church’s hallway is dedicated to its past, featuring photos of past members standing at the church’s steps. The church celebrated its 200th anniversary on Sept. 10, 1950, its 225th on Sept. 21, 1975, and its 250th on Sept. 24, 2000.

Pastor Larry Davis discussed the significance of the church when the seeds were first planted on Nov. 30, 1743, when, according to the vestry of the St. Paul Epistle Church in Suffolk, Virginia, 22 men were sent out to survey the county for possible sites to expand the work of the Episcopal Church. Descendants of the following families – Norfleet, Brinkley, Harrell, Riddick, Lassiter, Skinner, Baker, Beamon, and Roundtree – built Cypress Chapel Christian Church.

Historical records reflect that by 1746, Rev. Mr. Beckett preached one sermon at the site that came to be known as the Chapel on Cypress Swamp. While an actual building was not erected until about 1750, the site became a regular site of worship as early as 1746.