Installed: 1905

Memorial name: Beal Memorial Window

Dedicated to: James Henry Beal (1823-1904)

Location: Main floor, left side

In this window, John the Baptist is portrayed as a heroic figure. Gazing up into the distance, he leans against a rocky shoreline and supports himself with a cruciform-topped staff. In his left hand he holds a shell, emblematic of Jesus’ baptism and the beginning of his ministry. The reeds at the lower right as well as the distant body of water and mountainscape evoke the Sea of Galilee. An atmospheric sky is enlivened through glass plates patterned with accents of pink, orange, and yellow. The floral border is anchored by an acanthus leaf on each side and topped with an oval-shaped, opalescent, hand-faceted, glass jewel insert that is reminiscent of an opal. This motif is featured in several windows in the Arlington Street Church series.

This window is dedicated to James Henry Beal (1823-1904) who was a banker and a wholesale furniture dealer. As the president of Granite National Bank, which would be renamed to the Second National Bank of Boston during his tenure, Beal was instrumental in raising funds among bankers for the United States government during the Civil War.

Glenn Kulbako Photography