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Keep My Commandments (or Martha and Mary) Window
Keep My Commandments was the signed work of Ernest Lakeman, installed in 1942 as a Ruffin family memorial. Lakeman’s most famous work was his window in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, memorializing John Jacob Astor’s death on the Titanic in 1912.
Angel of Praise
The most widely recognized window is the Angel of Praise Window, installed in 1899. It was listed as the “Ruffin Memorial Window” in a 1910 publication of Tiffany Glass. Joseph Lauber designed the Angel in 1894, and most likely Agnes Northrop designed the cluster of Iris at the Angel’s feet. It is signed Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company and dated 1896.
St. Matthew’s Window
This ‘patron’ window of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church is by Lawrence Saint, who is well known for windows done for the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York, and the National Cathedral, Washington, D.C. The names of James Webb and Sarah Frances Cheshire and their children are laced throughout the window.
Christ the Master Window
This window has one major panel. The theme of the window is labor and is based on Matthew 11 :28: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”
The Children’s Window
This contemporary window consists of two panels of popular events involving Jesus and children. The upper panel depicts a scene in the earthly life of Jesus.
The Gifts of the Magi Window
The Magi Window by Charles Booth was a gift to St. Matthew’s by descendants of the Cameron family, installed in 1975. It was originally bought in 1884 for Salem Chapel, the family’s chapel on the Cameron plantation, Fairntosh, in what is now Durham County.
Madonna and Child Window
The Madonna and Child Window (1895) was a memorial to Paul Cameron, a 3-year old child of the Cameron family, designed by Charles Booth.
The Good Shepherd Window
To the right of the altar, is the Good Shepherd Window (1872), portiaying Jesus with an unusual hat crowned with thorns. The Ladies Sewing Society sold their needlework in order to purchase the window as a memorial for the Rev. Moses Ashley Curtis, who was also a renowned botanist and composer of church music.
The Altar or Triptych Windows
The first addition of stained glass to St. Matthew’s was the set of three lancet windows, the Altar Windows, in 1868, the “gift of a lady of the parish.” These were set into to the newly built recessed chancel.