Welcome to St. James’ Church! This page will describe a brief, self-guided tour through St. James’, indicating various architectural highlights. The tour will take you from the main entrance on Madison Avenue, along the north side of the nave, to the chapel, baptistery, altar, south windows, columbarium and narthex.

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1 Rose Window (designed and executed by the Guthrie Studio) 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 east to west):
- Abraham, Sarah and Isaac ; Jacob and Rachel; Joseph and his brothers (designed by the Henry Wynd Young Studio of New York)
- David, Moses and Samuel (designed by the D’Ascenzo Studio of Philadelphia)
- Daniel, Solomon and Elijah (Henry Wynd Young Studio)
- Various Old Testament stories (Henry Wynd Young Studio)

3 Upper North Clerestory Windows (all from the Henry Wynd Young Studio of New York); four groups of five windows with three principal figures (viewed from west to east):
- Robert Hunt, George Washington and Bishop White
- Thomas Cranmer, St. Catherine of Sienna and John Wyclif
- William Tyndale, St. Elisabeth of Hungary and Savonarola
- St. Francis of Assisi, St. Felicitas and St. 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 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) St. Peter, St. Paul, St. James the Minor, St. Thomas, St. James the Major, and St. Bartholomew. The surrounding screen topped by carved figures was also used with the 1884 high altar, but because of the reduced space of the 1924 Chapel only part of the screen was installed there, the remainder being moved to the sacristy (clergy robing room).

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 polychromed panels of the 19th Century depict four archangels (St. Gabriel, St. Michael, St. Raphael and St. Uriel) surrounding the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist.

9 Chancel windows designed by the Henry Wynd Young Studio of New York. The four north windows depict the “Eight Earthly Warriors of the Church” (Cornelius the Centurion, St. George, St. Martin of Tours, St. Alban, Alfred the Great, Godfrey of Bouillon, St. Louis, St. Joan of Arc) while the four south windows depict the “Celestial Warriors” (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.

10 The Chancel, the High Altar and its Reredos (see insert) were designed by Ralph Adams Cram. The gilded and polychromed reredos was carved in Boston in 1924 by the firm of Irving and Casson and dedicated on February 1, 1925.

11 The High Altar is Italian marble, decorated with three panels. From the left: “IHS”, the Greek initials for Christ’s name surrounded by lilies (symbolizing purity), a pelican feeding its young (Christ’s atonement) and the Greek letters for alpha and omega surrounded by pomegranates (resurrection). To the right above the Credence Table is a stone carving of grapes and a wafer (Eucharistic symbols), which is radiating rays of light resembling a ship’s wheel.

12 High on the walls are twelve shields, each bearing a symbol representing the individual apostles (from left to right: St. Peter, St. James the Major, St. John, St. Andrew, St. Philip, St. Thomas, St. Bartholomew, St. Simon, St. James the Minor, St. Matthew, St. Jude and St. Matthias).

13 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 Anglican church (from right to left on the parapet: St. John the Baptist, St. Peter, St.Paul; on the pulpit support: St. Chrysostom, St. Augustine, Nicholas Ridley, John Wesley and Phillips Brooks).

14 The Lectern, designed and executed by Ralph Adams Cram at the same time as the Pulpit, is carved with figures depicting Old and New Testament authors (from left to right: on the parapet: Isaiah, King David, Moses, Isaiah; and on the lectern support, the Evangelists; Sts. John, Luke, Matthew and Mark, surrounding the figure of an eagle (symbol of St. John the Evangelist) and “IHS,” Christ’s Greek intials, supporting the reading surface.

15 World War II Memorial given in memory of the 33 St. James’ parishioners who perished in the war. Executed by Katherine Thayer Hobson (a parishioner and Sunday school teacher), 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.

16 Windows (designed by the Charles Connick Studio of Boston) depict scenes of Christ’s life with the apostles.

17 Lower South Aisle windows: four groups of three principal figures (east to west):
- St. Peter, St. James the Major and St. John (Charles Connick Studio, Boston)
- St. Andrew, St. Philip and St. Bartholomew (Henry Wynd Young Studio, New York)
- St. Thomas, St. Matthew and St. James the Minor (Charles Connick Studio)
- St. Jude, St. Simon and St. Mathias (Henry Wynd Young Studio)

18 Upper South Clerestory windows (all from the Charles Connick Studio of Boston) four groups of five with three principal figures (from East to West):
- St. Stephen, St. Phebe and St. Ignatius
- St. Columba, St. Hilda and St. David of Wales
- St. Athanaius, St. Perpetua and St. Augustine of Hippo
- St. Augustine of Canterbury, Queen Bertha of Kent and Gregory the Great

19 The Columbarium. The windows “At the Morn, Those Angel Faces” (designed by the Louis Comfort Tiffany Studio of New York) were moved to the base of the bell tower at the time of the 1924 renovation.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
Current and future St. James' Church parishioners and visitors are deeply indebted to the faith and devotion of church members who conducted research into the history and arts described in this tour guide. Their love, skill and patience has resulted in an accurate document which – like the church itself – is a testament to the glory of God.

Download the Walking Tour brochure here

Go to the description of the reredos