St. Agatha - St. James Church Tour
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St. Agatha - St. James Church Tour |
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The sanctuary consists of three spaces: the sanctuary proper, where the priests celebrate Mass; and the smaller chapels for Joseph and Mary, at our left and right, respectively.
The sanctuary and the lesser chapels beside it are preceded by a barrier in the form of the communion rail, which runs the entire width of the church. This is an arcade supported by dwarf columns, variously colored. Metal gates open at the center and the sides. The rail is kept low because before the reforms of Vatican II parishioners came up here at Communion, knelt and received the Sacrament from the priests who stayed in the sanctuary. Nowadays the gates are always open, admitting various liturgical ministers into the sanctuary during the Mass and allowing priests to engage the congregation in its space.
| Here and there the straight line of the communion rail swells into a circle, containing grapes and grape leaves carved in white marble. They are utterly appropriate here, because the Blood of Christ, the wine of Communion, is the fruit of the grape vine. These details are also among the finest pieces of nineteenth century carving in the church. |
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The pulpit rises at our left, intersecting the communion rail. It is carved from white marble and was donated in 1932. Stylized roses decorate its side and front walls. At the front a carved eagle also supports the lectern, where the Lectionary rests during the Liturgy of the Word. That eagle is the traditional symbol of St. John the Evangelist, whose Gospel begins, "In the beginning was the Word..." (John 1:1). And it is here that the Word of God is proclaimed. |
To the left of the pulpit opens the chapel dedicated to Saint Joseph. Its main feature is an elaborately carved marble altar, whose table rests upon columns of varied colors. At the center rises a statue of St. Joseph. He holds a staff that erupts in gilded flowers. It fulfills the prophecy made by Isaiah long ago: "A shoot shall spring forth from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom" (Isaiah 11:1). Joseph was of the line of Jesse, father of King David, and Joseph is the foster father of Jesus.
Behind the statue of St. Joseph hangs an oil painting by Filippo Costaggini depicting the Flight of the Holy Family into Egypt. Joseph, at our right, guides the donkey carrying Mary and the infant Jesus. But his gaze and his gesture of reverence indicate who the real guide of this journey is.
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The left wall of St. Joseph's chapel is pierced by a stained glass window that shows John the Evangelist witnessing the Archangel Michael battling with the great Dragon of the Apocalypse (Revelation 12:7-8). We have encountered the same scene in the right transept. It reappears here to show a victory over evil, as the Flight into Egypt (and Jesus' escape from Herod) also is. |
Mary's chapel opens to the right of the main sanctuary. Again, there is an elaborate marble altar, a statue of the Virgin set above, and behind that another oil painting by Filippo Costaggini, here representing the Annunciation. The painting shows Gabriel descending in glory to tell the Virgin that she will conceive a child, to be called Jesus. Costaggini composed this scene to echo the Flight into Egypt across the way; both canvases guide us to our right; in both cases a major figure stops the action. The marble figure of Mary at the center of the altar places her hands on her breast, in an attitude of acceptance of Gabriel's message: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." (Luke 1:38)
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The right wall of Mary's chapel opens up into a large window showing
another kind of annunciation. It shows Jesus revealing His Sacred
Heart to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, who kneels in adoration at our
right. Clusters of grapes figure in the borders above and below to
indicate another aspect of Christ's compassion for us, his Blood in
the Eucharist. Apart from its theological significance, this window is
one of the artistic treasures of our church.
By now you will have noticed something peculiar to this church. In every other Catholic church we visit, Mary's altar is on the left as we face the high altar, but here it rises at the right, just as Joseph occupies the left. Perhaps that is because of the early history of West Philadelphia. When the first church of St. James was built in 1850, Chestnut Street was originally named James Street, for this area did not belong to the city of Philadelphia on the other side of the Schuylkill River. What we call 38th Street was originally Mary Street. So Mary's chapel here may respect the original layout of the district. Certainly the wall facing 38th/Mary Street is given over to female saints in stained glass, among them Margaret Mary Alacoque and the Blessed Virgin herself, in the nave. |
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St. Agatha - St. James Church Tour |
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