Imagine Puritan Boston made decidedly nervous. The Church of the Advent stands before us. It is not just a building. It is a symbol of architectural and religious reform.
This Episcopal parish began in 1844. Its founders sought to change church customs. They opposed renting pews. This practice favored the wealthy and excluded the poor. The parish charter aimed to provide Holy Catholic Church services. It wanted to serve the poor without unnecessary expense.
In 1875, John Hubbard Sturgis designed the church. He used the Early English Gothic style. The building finished in 1888. Ralph Adams Cram designed additional features. These included the Lady Chapel and the West Portal.
Look closely at the West Portal. Charles H. Fiske gifted this. Frederick Warren Allen created the relief in the tympanum in 1931. It was installed in 1937. The relief shows St. Gabriel and St. Michael. They adore Our Lord and Savior. Allen also designed Cole Memorial Chapel at Wheaton College.
Consider the symbols on the portal. Shields decorate the lower corners. One shield features stars and stripes. The other displays a Greek cross. Crowns and a heraldic horn embellish it. These evoke the Episcopal Church’s symbolic shield.
Christ sits enthroned. He wears a chasuble. This is a liturgical garment for Holy Eucharist. Angels flank him. Michael holds a sword. Gabriel holds leafy branches. These details create a simple, formal composition. It fits the uplifting spirituality within.
Allen believed architecture and sculpture were allied arts. Each depended on the other. The tympanum integrates with the building’s design. The central figure’s verticality extends through the roof ornament. It rises to the cross at the building’s peak.
Elizabeth MacLean Smith noted the fine relationship of the figures. Each part has space to exist. The balance is offset by variety in details. Allen’s style adapted to fit the Gothic style of the Church of the Advent.
The church has maintained the stone relief. Sometimes birds nest in the canopy above the throne. Despite Allen’s doubts about God, he created beautiful angels. The Church of the Advent on Beacon Hill. It stands as a testament to faith and art. It serves as a timeless landmark.