An Encounter with History at Washington Memorial Chapel

Stepping into the unlit nave, the late afternoon sun sets the towering stained-glass windows on every side ablaze, suffusing the limestone walls with a kaleidoscope of patterns dominated by patriot blue and red. This majestic array of crystalline color is more than decoration; it is a unique message from the early twentieth century, one as timeless and intriguing as the twelfth-century techniques used to craft it.

Taking a closer look at the Chapel’s thirteen windows—one for each of America’s original states—the viewer is struck by their overwhelming detail: almost two hundred distinct images flashing forth in chorus all around the room. Understanding the individual significance of these scenes—most of which are quite unusual for church windows—unlocks a multifaceted epic narrative which spans many centuries.

Turning to the massive window above the main entrance, one of its thirty-six scenes catches the eye: the classic image of Washington kneeling in prayer at Valley Forge. “So far as most Americans know,” wrote local minister Herbert Burk in 1907, “that prayer was the result of the direst need, and not the evidence of a constant practice.” [3] An avid student of history, the Rev. W. Herbert Burk designed and founded the Washington Memorial Chapel to correct the record.

By the turn of the twentieth century, historians were eager to demythologize Washington by combating just-so stories of cherry trees and wooden teeth. Unfortunately, this quest to find the real man beneath the myths was already devolving into a questionable attempt to recast his well-attested devout character into a more secular mold. The first President’s deepest formative influences and personal beliefs were already fading into obscurity, as eyewitness accounts and even his own words throughout his life were summarily explained away.[4]

“Without the due appreciation of Washington’s prayerful spirit,” Burk wrote, “I believe no one can really understand the man.”[5] He determined to set this vanishing history in stone—and stained glass—at Valley Forge, where Americans and visitors from around the world could encounter a far fuller picture for themselves: Washington’s life in the context of “our Nation's history, not only as it is usually told, but in relation to the world movements which affected it.”[6]

Thus, Burk imagined a one-of-a-kind set of windows that would not only showcase the impact of the Church of England on Washington and the importance of Washington’s faith during the hard winter at Valley Forge, but also trace the roots of American civilization in a way that would illuminate the multi-layered role of Christianity “in the development of the human race.”[7]

The craftsman tasked with this feat was Nicola D’Ascenzo—and when the windows were complete, Burk was satisfied that D’Ascenzo had “faithfully followed the theme…in all its breadth of vision and minuteness of detail.”[8]

The chapel’s architect, Milton B. Medary, also worked closely with Burk, planning the meaning that D’Ascenzo’s windows would convey. He crystallized Burk’s core idea into a general theme of “self-sacrificing devotion to a cause,” which they both believed was the significance of Valley Forge. The American Republic was born in large part through Washington’s leadership, but also as the product of  an accumulation of great acts of personal devotion throughout the ages. [9] Burk believed this trajectory was Divinely ordained.

Far from being idiosyncratic, Burk’s Providence-centered perspective reflected in large measure the understanding of Americans of the Founding generation, regardless of religious belief . The Chapel windows are therefore not just a thought-provoking curiosity, but a special glimpse into the mindset of those who created one of the greatest experiments in freedom the world has ever seen. They stood on the shoulders of giants, reaping the benefits of centuries of progress.

Whatever their specific personal doctrinal convictions—which ran the gamut from rationalistic deism to flaming evangelical piety—the Founders lived in a world shaped by the Bible’s pioneering vision of human dignity. It was in this milieu that the moral and political consensus emerged which undergirded their endeavors. All of them believed the rise of America was part of God’s plan.

Washington was, therefore, not alone in believing that God had intervened to bring about the development of a new nation of freedom—in part by blessing human efforts, but most significantly by transforming Western Civilization through “the pure and benign light of Revelation:”  the message of Jesus Christ.[10]

This is the key to understanding Burk’s windows; they tell, as he said, a “story of faith and hope and love,” in which the noblest strivings of mankind—imperfect though they may be—are made part of a much larger, more glorious plan through “the miracles of Providence.”

The Plan

The Chapel windows’ interwoven narratives are conveyed through a three-part layout, beginning above the altar and ending above the main entrance, following a general chronological order. Each window is dedicated to, but generally has nothing to do with, a patriot of the Revolutionary era.

The large window at the front—dedicated to George Washington’s wife of forty years, Martha Washington—represents service through sacrifice. Burk intended this window to spell out the implications of Jesus Christ’s statement “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10b). In twenty-five scenes, or “medallions,” moments from the life of Jesus Christ illustrate five areas of society in which this Abundant Life is manifested: literature, social institutions, religion, science, and art.

All of the other windows display what Burk saw as the results of Christ’s world-changing message. They culminate in a turning point in world history, the foundation of the American Republic under Washington.

The centrality of Christ in this sequence is more than a statement about historical significance; Burk intended first and foremost that the Chapel would be a real church, believing that:

[N]o monument which man can devise will ever so express all that America reveres in the thought of Washington and his fellow patriots as completely or as adequately or as inspiringly as a house of prayer consecrated to the worship of the Patriot of Patriots, the Saviour of the World, and devoted to the service of His brethren of all faiths and nations and kindreds, a Church made glorious with His great and all-embracing love for mankind.[11]

As with the Abundant Life theme in the Martha Washington Window, Burk’s vision included a verse from the New Testament for each window. This verse frames the scenes in the window as part of a sacred principle or theme. These are not arbitrary attempts to force-fit Biblical content onto events. Instead, they represent Burk’s thoughtful examination of history from the perspective of a religious scholar and spiritual leader. These framing devices also put the viewer into the shoes of the Founding generation, for whom the King James Bible formed a rich literary backdrop.

Accompanying the Abundant Life focal point is a 10-scene window off to the left side, one which can only be seen from near the altar. This “Christ and the Nations” window—dedicated to Washington’s close friend William White, the first Episcopal Bishop of Pennsylvania—shows the Gospel going forth into the world, with special focus on England and the Anglican tradition.

Leaving the chancel and turning to the nave, there are two complementary pairs of five windows facing each other over the pews. First are the Alexander Hamilton Window of Freedom through Truth and the Benjamin Franklin Window of Freedom through the Word, which represent the flowering of European Christendom in the Renaissance and Reformation, especially highlighting the impact of the Bible being translated into English.

Next are the Nathanael Greene Window of Discovery and the Marquis de Lafayette Window of Settlement. These show the various European explorations and waves of colonization, highlighting the variety of European peoples who would make up the population of the future United States and the spirit of discovery and pioneer perseverance which made this possible.

These are followed by the Anthony Wayne Window of Expansion and the Robert Morris Window of Development, depicting the efforts of the American people to improve themselves, innovate, and make use of the land.

The John Paul Jones Window of the Revolution and the John Houston Window of Patriotism recount events of the War for Independence, focusing on leadership, perseverance, and daring.

The Thomas Jefferson Window of Democracy and the Benjamin Lincoln Window of the Union show important moments in American self-government and the peaceful unification of the thirteen fiercely independent states into a unique federal republic.

The George Washington Window outlines the life of “the Father of His Country” from his baptism to his retirement, emphasizing military, political, and spiritual moments. Burk saw the biography of Washington as echoing the course of progress shown in the nave windows, and strove for it to represent “a life lived under the Providence of God for the founding of the American Republic…giving to the American people the most exalted ideals of private life and public service.”[12]

Now, come explore the profound theological and historical message contained in these stained-glass masterworks!