Photo – Peter Swanson

Saint Alban Shelters a Christian Priest

1960 – The Little Sanctuary,               Saint Albans School, Washington, DC

This is the first in a series of five windows by Rowan and Irene that depict events in the life of Saint Alban.  The school’s brochure about the windows, written by Allie Benson and Lynne Mitchell, says, “The St. Alban series is the result of a unique collaboration between the Reverend Craig Eder, Chaplain of St. Albans School, and artist Rowan LeCompte. The approach to these windows is a modern interpretation of deep intellectual and spiritual ideas. Eder and LeCompte’s vivid recollections reflect a creative synergy which bursts forth in the color and design of the windows. Artist Irene LeCompte was also deeply involved in the creative process.”  There is certainly a modern influence here, and one wonders if there is a bit of Picasso and Matisse sprinkled in.  In this and all the other four windows, two large lead lines, roughly in the shape of a cross, cut the window into four sections. Each of these four sections is composed of large pieces of glass that create a bold composition.  There is also a wonderful contrast of light and dark that sets off Saint Alban and the priest he sheltered.

The school’s brochure says, “Rowan LeCompte commented that he and Irene greatly enjoyed creating the St. Albans windows in their Chelsea Studio in Manhattan. All the windows were leaded by Melville Greenland, a talented stained glass craftsman, who had a studio in the same building. A contemporary and friend of LeCompte’s, Greenland is credited by LeCompte as being ‘one of the two greatest, most competent, imaginative stained glass artificers in the United States.’” In the National Cathedral’s Noah window, Rowan used Greenland’s face as Noah.

Iconography

From the school’s brochure about the window we learn that, “the legend of St. Alban begins around the year 302 A.D. At the time of Diocletian, there was a terrible persecution of Christians in England. Amphibalus, a Christian priest, was fleeing from his pursuers. A Roman man, Alban, sheltered him in his home. LeCompte emphasized that he wished to portray Alban as a scholar rather than in the traditional image of a soldier. In LeCompte’s words, the window shows “a faceless but tall and slender Alban holding a house around a man sitting at a table with food.” The Biblical inspiration for this image is from the Twenty-third Psalm, “Thou preparest a table before me in the presenceof mine enemies.” The house here incorporates the dual elements of a Roman arch and an English thatched roof. 

In the lower right corner, LeCompte depicts “the pursuing police all chained together by their hatred and venomousness.” The Rev. Eder recalls thinking that the swords could also be seen as bayonets and the Roman helmets as First or Second World War helmets. Even the pants on the soldiers are similar to military fatigues. Eder’s interpretation of the underlying theme is that the soldiers with swords are “evil warriors representing militarism of all time.”

Year Completed

1960

Artists

Rowan LeCompte

Irene Matz LeCompte

Fabricator

Melville Greenland

Location In Building

North Wall