The Chapel Windows

Alumnae Window Alumnae Window
The great window above the cloister was a gift from the Alumnae, unveiled on Alumnae Day, June 14, 1892. The window is from the studio of Messrs. Charles Booth and Co., London, Eng. It represents the Annunciation, depicted in two divisions. On the right is the angel Gabriel and on the left is Mary with hands meekly folded on her bosom, bending to receive the angelic salutation. Beneath, inscribed in Latin, is the virgin's response, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done unto me according to thy word."

Jesus at the Home of Mary and Martha Jesus at the Home of Mary and Martha
Jesus and the Eleven
In the north wall, a German artist from Munich, whose work in this instance was done in St. Louis, Mo, created the first and second windows. The glass is all "mouth blown" and is all of European origin. Mouth blown glass follows the same individualistic process used in producing the art glass of the 12th and 13th Centuries.
Jesus and the Eleven

Saint Anna Window
The first window in the south wall, above the stairwell, was made in England. It portrays Anna, the mother of Mary, teaching Mary to read.
Saint Anna Window
Presentation Window Presentation Window
Next, in the south wall, is the Presentation Window with Mary holding the infant Jesus in her left arm and the sacrificial doves perched on her right hand. This window was created by artists at Gorham and Company, famed silversmiths of Providence, Rhode Island.

Saint Margaret Window
The middle window on the south wall is known as the St. Margaret Window, commemorative of a Christian martyr of the era of persecution in Rome. The window is of rare opalescent glass, designed and made the studio of Louis Tiffany of New York. The picture represents St. Margaret standing on the angry waves of the sea, triumphing over them by the power of the cross, which she holds on high. The construction of this window is unique due to the molding of the glass to form the folds in the garment of the figure in the design. On October 24, 1899, this window was unveiled as a memorial to three young girls who lost their lives in the wreck of the yacht "Paul Jones" in the Gulf of Mexico. The full story of the tragedy is unknown.
St. Margaret's Window

Saint Cecelia Window St. Cecelia Window
The fourth window in the south wall is commemorative of St. Cecelia, who was martyred by starvation during the reign of Roman Emperor Diocletion. St. Cecelia was the patron saint of music and the window is a memorial to Julia Derby Pilcher, who was the organist and teacher at St. Mary's at the time of the installation of the organ. Julia fell in love with and married the Pilcher son who made the installation. Her untimely death came within the first year of marriage. The window was given by her husband in her memory.

Saint Agnes Window
St. Agnes, the patron saint of young girls, is particularly appropriate for St. Mary's. At age 13 she was ordered to sacrifice to pagan gods and lose her virginity. One report says she was taken to a Roman temple and when led to the altar, she made the sign of the Cross. She was threatened, then tortured when she refused to turn against God. She was martyred and is buried in Rome.
Saint Agnes Window

East Organ Window Left Organ Window Left Altar Window Right Altar Window

The oldest pictorial windows in the chapel are thought to be on either side of the organ, the small lancet windows in the sanctuary and the tympanum window above the altar.

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