From the Archives – Historic Stained-Glass Windows

Several old stained-glass windows, remnants of our parish history, are now displayed in our new Museum of the Basilica of Saint Mary. As you walk into the museum, you immediately see two of the old windows displayed ahead of you.

One is a large, arched stained-glass window that was originally located in Saint Mary’s church, per- haps in one of the transepts. The window is described perfectly in an 1857 Alexandria Gazette article: “The side windows are of enamelled [sic] glass, brown and white, with colored borders, blue, green, red, or purple, and have bright wreaths of fruit and flowers in the top of the arch. They were manu- factured by Gibson, Philadelphia.” The Gibson firm was “a glass staining and decorative establish- ment” active in Philadelphia between 1857 and 1877.

Two smaller windows have a Eucharistic theme, with wheat and grapes representing the bread and the wine consecrated at Mass. It is uncertain where these windows were originally displayed in the church, but they have hinges and handles, so must have been in a spot where they could be opened. They each have a small placard that says, “Made in Austria.” These smaller historic gems were found stored in the basement of the Basilica and have been “resurrected” for display in the museum.

— Virginia Nyce, Basilica of Saint Mary Archival Manager

You can see these and other historic artifacts when you visit The Basilica of Saint Mary Museum located at 313 Duke Street (use the Parish Office entrance on right side of the building). The museum is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on days when the parish office is closed.

In 2020, to commemorate the 225th anniversary of our parish, we started “From the Archives” as a weekly feature online and in our bulletin to spotlight the history of Saint Mary’s. Due to its popularity, we are continuing the series. An archive of the features is located here.