A detail of a nearly 150-year-old stained-glass window depicts Christ speaking to a Samaritan woman, in the now-closed St. Mark’s Episcopal church
A stained-glass window that shows Jesus Christ as a dark-skinned man interacting with women from the New Testament has been rediscovered in a Rhode Island church. The window, which dates back to 1878, is believed to be the oldest public example of its kind in the U.S. and has raised questions about the race of Christ and the role of women in biblical and 19th century society.
The window was installed at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Warren, which closed in 2010 and was bought by a family who converted it into their home. The window was one of four that were removed last year to be replaced with clear glass. Hadley Arnold, who teaches architectural design in California and has an art history degree from Harvard University, noticed the dark skin tones of the human figures when she examined the window closely.
“I was shocked. I had never seen anything like it before,” she said.
The window was made by the Henry E. Sharp studio in New York and depicts two scenes from the Gospels of Luke and John. In one scene, Jesus is talking to Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus, who are also shown with dark skin. In the other scene, Jesus is speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well, who is also dark-skinned.
The window was commissioned by a woman named Sarah Gibbs in memory of her two aunts, who had married into families that were involved in the slave trade. Rhode Island was a major hub of the transatlantic slave trade in colonial times and many prominent families benefited from it.
Arnold and other experts have wondered what motivated Gibbs, the church and the artist to create such a window at a time when slavery had just been abolished and racial tensions were high. Was it a way of repenting for their involvement in slavery? Was it a statement of solidarity with people of color? Was it a hidden message that only some could decipher?
“This window is a mystery and a challenge,” said Virginia Raguin, a professor emerita at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, and an expert on stained-glass art. “It raises so many questions about race, history and religion.”
The window also challenges the conventional depiction of Jesus as a white man, which has been dominant in Western art and culture for centuries. Many scholars agree that Jesus was most likely a Middle Eastern Jew with brown skin, but his exact appearance is unknown.
The window also highlights the role of women in Christianity, as they are shown as equal partners in dialogue with Jesus, rather than as passive or subordinate figures.
The window is now being studied by historians, theologians and artists who hope to learn more about its origins and meanings. Arnold hopes that the window will inspire more conversations about race and religion in America.
“This window is a treasure and a provocation,” she said. “It invites us to rethink our assumptions and to see things differently.”
