Narthex Partition

The west end of the nave is separated from the narthex by a partition. The six lancets here are the oldest in the nave and are in the style of Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933), though it is not certain that these windows were made by the Tiffany Glass Co.*

Tiffany, a native of Boston and son of the founder of the famous jewelry store, founded Tiffany Glass Co. in 1885 in Corona, NY. In 1889 Tiffany began the use of opalescent glass in muted colors that is the characteristic of his style and is found in these windows.

30 (1894):

At the top of the window are the letters IHS (see #1). In the center is the Easter lily—the variety that usually symbolizes the Resurrection, but also typifies female purity and virginity and stands for the Virgin Mary. The lily of the valley, another symbol of female humility and purity, decorates the lower part of the lancet.

31 (1894):

At the top, a descending dove symbolizes the Holy Spirit. The crown and the cross in the center symbolize the reward of life after death for the faithful who believe in the crucified Savior. “Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). At the bottom of the window are three calla lilies, the usual symbol of the Virgin Mary and the Angel of the Annunciation.

32 (1894):

This window mirrors lancet 30 in its central Easter lily and its lower lily of the valley, except that at the top of the window is, the Chi-Rho monogram of Christ (see #5).

30. MEMORIAL (RIGHT LANCET): THIS WINDOW WAS GIVEN IN LOVING MEMORY OF ANNIE SLOAN BEVERLEY BY HER FAMILY.

31. MEMORIAL (MIDDLE LANCET): THIS WINDOW WAS GIVEN IN LOVING MEMORY OF JAMES MERCER GIBBES BY HIS FAMILY.

32. MEMORIAL (LEFT LANCET): THIS WINDOW WAS GIVEN IN LOVING MEMORY OF JANE BEVERLEY SLOAN BY HER HUSBAND, COLONEL JOHN T. SLOAN.

35 (1895):

This lancet mirrors lancet 33. A dove flies from left to right holding an olive branch, symbol of eternal peace in its beak; the Greek letter A (alpha) dominates the center; and three calla lilies are shown in the lower section.

34 (1895):

This lancet, located near the west balcony where nineteenth-century choirs customarily sang, represents music in the church service. A lyre dominates the center, with an open hymnal in the background, and the lower part carries roses, symbolizing messianic hope. At the top of the window is a cross pattée, whose sheltering wings symbolize the protective power of the cross.

33 (1895):

The three calla lilies in the lower portion pair this lancet with #35. The dove with the olive branch in the upper part flies from right to left and the center contains the Greek letter Ω (omega), completing the reference to Rev. 22:13: “I am alpha (A) and omega (Ω), the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” Alpha and omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, symbolizing the eternity of our Savior.

 

33, 34, 35. MEMORIAL: THESE LANCETS WERE GIVEN BY THE DAUGHTERS OF THE HOLY CROSS* IN MEMORY OF ETHEL HOPE EVANS, DAUGHTER OF THE REVEREND W.E. EVANS, D.D., WHO DIED JUST AFTER DR. EVANS WAS CALLED TO COLUMBIA AND BEFORE THE FAMILY MOVED HERE. DR. EVANS SERVED AS RECTOR OF TRINITY FROM 1893 TO 1900.

*In 1894, the women of the church were given the official collective title of Daughters of the Holy Cross.