As you look to the upper part of the Nave area you will see circular windows. These are the Apostles' symbols. We will begin on the West and work our way around to the front and then the East side.

The first window is St. Philip. The cross and the two loaves are assigned to Philip because of his answer to the Lord in John 6:7. Other emblems for Saint Philip are: a basket filled with bread; a spear and patriarchal cross; a cross and a carpenter's square. The color of the shield is red; the cross and the loaves are gold. Saint Philip's day is May 1.

The second window is St. Bartholomew. Bartholomew died by being skinned alive. He was tortured to death for the Gospel. His symbols show his faithfulness to the word of God, even while the knives remind us of his terrible tortures. Other emblems for Saint Bartholomew are a knife over a Bible; or the branch of a fig tree. The colors assigned to this emblem are a red shield, a silver knife with a gold handle, and silver knives. Saint Bartholomew's day is August 24 which is always remembered as the day of the terrible slaughter of the Huguenots in France.

The third window is St. Andrew. Andrew is said to have died on a cross shaped like an "X". Since the date of the first Sunday in Advent is always the Sunday nearest to Saint Andrew's day (November 30), this cross has become the emblem of the beginning and the end of the Church Year. In silver on blue, it is the national cross of Scotland. Other emblems for Saint Andrew are the crossed fishes; the cross and the fish-net with a boat hook. The color for the shield is usually blue, but because our circle symbol backgrounds are all blue it appears as red.

The fourth window is St. Jude. Saint Jude (not to be confused with Judas Iscariot whose shield is always blank) also bears the name of Thaddeus or Lebbaeus. Other emblems for Saint Jude include: a ship, a club, loaves and a fish. The symbol that appears here is the inverted cross and a spear. The color of the shield is red, the spear is gold. The day of Saint Jude is October 28.

The fifth window is St. James the Less. The saw is the symbol of Saint James the Less. Hegesippus says that Saint James was thrown from the pinnacle of the temple then his body was sawed to pieces. Other emblems are three stones; a windmill. The colors are usually a red shield and a silver saw. The day of Saint James is May I.

The symbol in the very front of the Nave at the very top is the symbol for ALL SAINTS. This symbol represents all who have gone before us and for you and me. This is our symbol. It is a symbol taken directly from the parable of our Lord in Saint Matthew 13:30 and 39. He talks about His own harvest, the good wheat (the faithful) are held within the crown of their reward surrounded by the symbols of the Savior in whose faith they lived and died. The color shows the stems red; the ears, gold; the crown, gold; the letters, red; the background white; and the edges, red. All Saints Day is November 1.

The sixth window is on the East and is that of St. James. James is said to have traveled a great deal in order to preach the Gospel to many people. The escallop shell is a symbol for the traveler because he used this shell to scoop water to drink on his travels. Other emblems of Saint James are: the sword and the shell; staff and the wallet; staff and the hat; staff and the sword crossed. The colors usually show the shield red (sometimes blue); the scallops gold. The day of St. James is July 25.

The seventh window is St. Thomas. Thomas was evidently a twin because in John 11:16 he is called "Didymus." Thomas was evidently the first missionary in India. There he built a Church with his own hands. This is symbolized by a carpenter's square. He was finally slain by the spear of a heathen priest; therefore, the spear is used in his emblem also. Other emblems for Saint Thomas are: a spear, four arrows and a square; a spear, four arrows and three stones; three stones and a leather girdle. The day of Saint Thomas is December 21.

The eighth window is St. Simon. Simon is also known as the "Zealot" because he evidently belonged to this group within Israel at the time of Christ. He is usually shown with a fish on a book to emphasize that he was a fisher of men through the Gospel. Other emblems include: two oars and a battle ax; a fuller's club; a long saw and an oar crossed. The colors for Saint Simon are: a red shield, a silver fish; a book, buff trimmed in gold. The day of Saint Simon is October 28.

The ninth window is St. Matthew. Matthew was also known as Levi. Because Matthew was a tax collector when Jesus called him, he has the three money bags assigned as his symbol. Other emblems for Saint Matthew are the money chest and the battle axe. The color of his shield is usually white with a red border and the bags are blue and sometimes gold. Saint Matthew's day is September 21.

The tenth window is St. Peter. The crossed keys are usually assigned to Saint Peter because of the word of the Lord to him in St. Matthew 16:19. Other symbols for Saint Peter are the inverted cross; the crowing cock; and the church on a rock. The colors usually show the shield blue and the keys gold. Sometimes one key is gold and the other silver. Sometimes too, the shield is shown in a brilliant red color as a sign of Peter's blood shed for the cause of Christ. Saint Peter's day is June 29.

In the Chancel area, at the very front of the church, we will find many symbols.

We invite you to continue the tour with the Chancel.

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