We invite you to enjoy a virtual tour through St. James’, indicating various architectural highlights. The tour will take you from the main entrance on Madison Avenue, along the north (left) side of the nave, to the chapel, baptistry, altar, reredos, south windows, columbarium and narthex.

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1 ROSE WINDOW (designed and executed by the Guthrie Studio of New York) above the church’s Madison Avenue entrance, with the image of Christ at its center and the twelve apostles and their symbols in the surrounding panels.

2. LOWER NORTH AISLE WINDOWS four groups of three (viewed from left to right)
Various Old Testament stories (Henry Wynd Young Studio)
Daniel, Solomon and Elijah (Henry Wynd Young Studio)
Samuel, Moses and David (designed by the D’Ascenzo Studio of Philadelphia)
Joseph and his brothers; Jacob and Rachel; Abraham, Sarah and Isaac (designed by the Henry Wynd Young Studio of New York)

3. UPPER NORTH CLERESTORY WINDOWS (all from the Henry Wynd Young Studio); four groups of five windows with three principal figures (viewed from left to right):
Robert Hunt, George Washington and Bishop White
Thomas Cranmer, Catherine of Sienna and John Wycliffe
William Tyndale, Elisabeth of Hungary and Savonarola
Francis of Assisi, Felicitas and Bernard of Clairvaux

4. WINDOWS depicting the Annunciation and the Adoration of the Magi (designed and executed by the Charles Connick Studio of Boston).

5. The CHAPEL ALTAR and CHAPEL REREDOS served as the high altar and reredos in the original 1884 church building and were moved to the Chapel as part of the 1924 renovation. Figures on the reredos flanking the figure of Christ are (left to right) Peter, Paul, James the Less, Thomas, James the Great, and Bartholomew. The surrounding screen topped by carved figures was also used with the 1884 high altar.

6. FRESCOED MURAL above the Chapel altar depicting the Transfiguration, Christ flanked by Moses and Elijah, was painted by Tabor Sears, a parishioner of St. James’.

7. GLAZED TERRA COTTA RONDO depicting the Madonna and Child was executed in the 19th century in the style of Andrea della Robbia.

8. BAPTISMAL FONT COVER. The folding 19th-century polychromed wood panels depict four archangels: (left to right) St. Gabriel, St. Michael, St. Raphael and St. Uriel, surrounding the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist.

9. CHANCEL WINDOWS (Henry Wynd Young Studio). The four north windows depict the “Eight Earthly Warriors of the Church” (left to right): Cornelius the Centurion, George, Martin of Tours, Alban, Alfred the Great, Godfrey of Bouillon, Louis, and Joan of Arc. The four south windows depict the “Celestial Warriors” (left to right): angels, archangels, virtues, dominions, principalities, powers, thrones, cherubim and seraphim. The Chancel is dedicated to the ten parishioners who died in World War I, which explains the somewhat militaristic themes of the windows. The dedication for all parts of the reconstructed church, memorial gifts and this chancel was on February 1, 1925.

10. The gilded and poly-chromed REREDOS was designed by Ralph Adams Cram, carved by Irving and Casson of Boston and dedicated in 1929 (see separate panel on the reredos)

11. The HIGH ALTAR is Italian marble, decorated with three panels. From left to right: “IHS”, the Greek initials for Christ’s name surrounded by lilies (symbolizing purity), a pelican piercing its breast to feed its young (Christ’s sacrifice) and the Greek letters for alpha and omega surrounded by pomegranates (resurrection).

12. High on the walls are TWELVE SHIELDS, each bearing a symbol representing the individual apostles (left to right): Peter, James the Great, John, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Simon, James the Less, Matthew, Jude and Matthias.

13. (A)-(B) The BICENTENNIAL ORGAN was built by Schoenstein & Co. in San Francisco. The chancel organ (A), Opus 157, has four manuals, 60 voices and 76 ranks, and was installed in 2009. The gallery organ (B) over the Madison Avenue entrance, Opus 156, has two manuals, fifteen voices, and seventeen ranks and was installed in 2008.

14. The PULPIT (designed by Ralph Adams Cram as part of the 1924 remodeling) is decorated with carved figures depicting great preachers in the history of the Church. On the parapet (left to right): Paul, Peter and John the Baptist; on the pulpit: Philips Brooks, John Wesley, Nicholas Ridley, Augustine of Canterbury, and Chrysostom.

15. The LECTERN (designed by Ralph Adams Cram and executed in 1924) is carved with figures depicting Old and New Testament authors on the parapet (left to right): Isaiah, King David, and Moses. On the lectern support the Evangelists John, Luke, Matthew and Mark surround the figure of an eagle (the symbol of John the Evangelist) and “IHS” (Christ’s Greek initials) supports the reading surface.

16. The WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL given in memory of the 33 St. James’ parishioners who perished in the war. Designed and executed by Katherine Thayer Hobson (a parishioner and Sunday school teacher) in 1947, the panel shows St. George surrounded by the coats of arms of St. James’ Church, the Diocese of New York, the United States and the donor family.

17. The SOUTH WINDOWS (designed by the Charles Connick Studio) depict scenes of Christ’s life with the apostles.

18. LOWER SOUTH AISLE WINDOWS: four groups of three principal panels (left to right):
Peter, James the Great and John (Charles Connick Studio)
Andrew, Philip and Bartholomew (Henry Wynd Young Studio)
Thomas, Matthew and James the Less (Charles Connick Studio)
Jude, Simon and Matthias (Henry Wynd Young Studio)

19. UPPER SOUTH CLERESTORY WINDOWS (all from the Charles Connick Studio) four groups of five with three principal figures (left to right):
St. Stephen, St. Phebe and St. Ignatius
St. Columba, St. Hilda and St. David of Wales
St. Athanasius, St. Perpetua and St. Augustine of Hippo
St. Augustine of Canterbury, Queen Bertha of Kent and Gregory the Great

20. The COLUMBARIUM was built in 2005 at the base of the bell tower. The Smithers Memorial WINDOWS, (“and with the morn, those angels’ faces smile, which I have loved long since and lost awhile”) were designed by the Louis Comfort Tiffany Studio of New York and moved to the base of the bell tower at the time of the 1924 renovation.

21. Polychromed PANEL of the MADONNA AND CHILD seventeenth century copy of a fifteenth century Florentine original.

22. Founders Plaque, Commemorative Plaques for first and second church buildings. Designed by Tiffany.

Download the Walking Tour brochure here

Go to the description of the reredos