History of Saint James' The Smith Window ( St. John The Divine)

Originally posted 07/08/2015

From the beginnings of the church – and in attestation of faith, mankind has been inspired to create the ultimate expression of beauty in its places of worship.  We see this at Saint James’ through architecture, design, painting, music, language, literature, liturgy, and countless other forms.  This essay draws attention to one example of the church’s extraordinary collection of stained glass windows.

As one enters the church, on the right hand wall, the second window is a depiction of the Apostle St. John, The Divine.  It was designed in 1958 in the semi-cubist style and mirrors the spirit of the time.  The inscription “And I saw a new Heaven and a new Earth” is drawn from The Revelation to John (The Apocalypse).

The window was given in memory of Stuart Archer Smith (1913-1957), a vestryman of Saint James’ and an active member of the Warrenton community.  Mr. Smith was a 1934 graduate of the Virginia Military Institute, a lieutenant commander in the Naval Reserve, and a Naval Aide to Virginia Governor Thomas B. Stanley.  A native of Fredericksburg, he was a senior executive in the family business started by his father – the Fredericksburg Launderers and Dry Cleaners Company, which had four other laundry companies in Virginia, including one in  Warrenton.  He served as president of the Virginia State Chamber of Commerce.      

Mr. Smith was married to Margaret Noland of Warrenton; they lived at the corner of Lee and Clay Streets.  He died at age 43 of leukemia.  The following year his widow, Margaret Noland Smith, gave the window to the glory of God and in memory of her husband, Stuart Archer Smith.

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