The Church of St. James the Less is a historic

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United State ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

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, that was architecturally influential. As St. James-the-Less Episcopal Church, it was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

for its

Gothic Revival architecture Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

, which influenced a generation of subsequent churches.

History

Philanthropist and merchant

Robert Ralston Robert Ralston (1761 Little Brandywine, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the ...

wanted to found a church near his land on Ridge Road, but died shortly before this church's founding. His friend Samuel Jarvis had helped found the

General Theological Seminary The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church (GTS) is an Episcopal seminary in New York City. Founded in 1817, GTS is the oldest seminary of the Episcopal Church and the longest continuously operating Seminary in the Anglican Communi ...

in New York and knew about the

Cambridge Camden Society The Cambridge Camden Society, known from 1845 (when it moved to London) as the Ecclesiological Society,Histor ...

. This congregation was admitted to the

Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania The Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America encompassing the counties of Philadelphia, Montgomery, Bucks, Chester and Delaware in the state of Pennsylvania. The Diocese has 36,641 ...

on 22 May 1846 and on 26 September 1846, took the corporate name of "Rector, Church Wardens and Vestrymen of St. James the Less." The new congregation acquired land from nearby

Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia. Founded in 1836, it was the second major rural cemetery in the United States after Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts. The cemetery is ...

and wanted to build a church that could serve not only the wealthy families with mansions overlooking the

Schuylkill River The Schuylkill River ( , ) is a river running northwest to southeast in eastern Pennsylvania. The river was improved by navigations into the Schuylkill Canal, and several of its tributaries drain major parts of Pennsylvania's Coal Region. It fl ...

or on Hunting Park Avenue, but also working-class people of the nearby industrial neighborhood now known as Allegheny West. The parish was traditionally

Tractarian The Oxford Movement was a movement of high church members of the Church of England which began in the 1830s and eventually developed into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose original devotees were mostly associated with the University of O ...

High Church The term ''high church'' refers to beliefs and practices of Christian ecclesiology, liturgy, and theology that emphasize formality and resistance to modernisation. Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term originate ...

in churchmanship orientation. It did not install gas lighting in 1869, but did allow oil lamps to replace the original candles circa 1885. Further modernization occurred in the early 20th century, including not only the tower and chimes (dedicated 1910) but also electric lighting and central heat circa 1913. Documents exist concerning its Anglo-Catholic practices in the early 20th century. St-James-the-Less-Church

Architecture

The building was added to the list of

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1974 and designated a

in 1985. The

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

called it "the first example of the pure English Parish church style in America, and one of the best examples of a 19th-century American Gothic church for its coherence and authenticity of design. Its influence on the major architects of the Gothic Revival in the United States was profound." St Michael's Church Longstanton

The

Gothic architecture Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It e ...

was nearly accidental. The congregation applied to the

Cambridge Camden Society The Cambridge Camden Society, known from 1845 (when it moved to London) as the Ecclesiological Society,Histor ...

, which in 1841 and 1844 had published a widely circulated pamphlet on modern church design, for a set of approved plans. Originally an organization formed by

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

students interested in gothic architecture, the group advocated combining the piety of gothic architecture with church reform associated with the

Oxford Movement The Oxford Movement was a movement of high church members of the Church of England which began in the 1830s and eventually developed into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose original devotees were mostly associated with the University of O ...

. It was inadvertently sent measured drawings prepared by English architect George Gordon Place for St. Michael's Church in

Longstanton Longstanton is a village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England, north-west of Cambridge city centre. Longstanton occupies . Longstanton was created in 1953 from the two parishes of Long Stanton All Saints and Long Stanton St Michae ...

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...

, built c. 1230, which were then followed in every detail under the supervision of architect John E. Carver. Later American churches on the National Register of Historic Places influenced by St. James' design include

All Saint's Memorial Church (Navesink, New Jersey) All Saints' Memorial Church is a small stone Gothic-style Episcopal church built in 1864 by Richard Upjohn in Navesink, New Jersey. A National Historic Landmark, the church complex, which includes the rectory, stable, and carriage house, is a ...

(designed by

Richard Upjohn Richard Upjohn (22 January 1802 – 16 August 1878) was a British-born American architect who emigrated to the United States and became most famous for his Gothic Revival churches. He was partially responsible for launching the movement to su ...

first President of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

) and St. Peter's Episcopal Church (Neligh, Nebraska). Set on the edge of a hill, north of Mount Vernon Cemetery and east of

, the setting for the church is no longer rural. West Hunting Park Avenue, a major artery, is just beyond the churchyard's south wall, and industrial buildings lie to the west. Now, however, the shady and quiet churchyard is considered an urban oasis. The Wanamaker Memorial Bell Tower and

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...

(1908), designed by

John T. Windrim John Torrey Windrim (February 14, 1866 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – June 27, 1934 in Devon, Pennsylvania) was an American architect. His long time chief designer was W. R. Morton Keast. He trained in the office of his father, architect Jam ...

, houses a set of

J.C. Deagan, Inc. J. C. Deagan, Inc. is a former musical instrument manufacturing company that developed and produced instruments from the late 19th- to mid-20th century. It was founded in 1880 by John Calhoun Deagan and initially manufactured glockenspiels. It w ...

tower chimes and a chime of bells by the McShane foundry. A parish hall, which later housed the parish school, was built on the opposite side of West Clearfield Street.

Current parish(es)

The congregation of St James the Less began withholding diocesan payments in protest over the ordination of women. After the bishop refused to renew the preaching license of assistant the Rev. Arthur Willis in 1999, the congregation attempted to form a nonprofit corporation and transfer the church property into it. In 2001, the diocese initiated litigation to seize its property and two years later the

Philadelphia County Philadelphia County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the most populous county in Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, Philadelphia County had a population of 1,603,797. The county is the second smallest county in Pennsyl ...

Court of Common Pleas A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...

ruled that the attempted merger was ''

ultra vires ('beyond the powers') is a Latin phrase used in law to describe an act which requires legal authority but is done without it. Its opposite, an act done under proper authority, is ('within the powers'). Acts that are may equivalently be termed ...

'' and invalid. The breakaway congregation lost two subsequent appeals, first to Commonwealth Court and then to the

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System. It also claims to be the oldest appellate court in the United States, a claim that is disputed by the Massachusetts Supreme ...

. After the Supreme Court's decision, the Diocese assumed control of the St. James property. In 2008 the diocese's Standing Committee voted to allow historic St. Mark's Church in Philadelphia's center city neighborhood to adopt the Church of St. James the Less as a mission. Weekly celebration of

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...

resumed on Sundays at 5:00 pm. The breakaway congregation largely entered the Roman Catholic Church under the provision of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter established by Pope Benedict.

School

During the controversy, the parish school closed circa 2006. As part of its mandate, Saint Mark's Church began a fundraising effort to open a new parish school to serve this local community. In 2009 and 2010, the St. Mark's congregation (together with St. Francis Episcopal Church in Potomac, Maryland) sponsored Vacation Bible School at the historic church school. The following fall a successful after-school program began, staff were hired, and renovations began. In September 2011 Saint James School, covering grades 5 to 8 opened. It is part of the NativityMiguel Network of Schools and the

National Association of Episcopal Schools The National Association of Episcopal Schools (NAES) is a membership organization of approximately 1200 pre-collegiate schools and early childhood education programs in the United States. Membership is restricted to schools owned, operated, or sp ...

Notable interments

The surrounding churchyard is the final resting place of several notable people. The cemetery is open to the public when the school is in session, generally weekdays from 7am-6pm, and on the weekends during school events. *

Chapman Biddle Chapman Biddle (January 22, 1822 – December 9, 1880) was a member of the prominent Biddle family of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who served as an officer in the Union Army in the American Civil War. He commanded a brigade of infantry at the ...

(January 22, 1822 – December 9, 1880), Civil War Union Army officer.Church of St James the Less
/ref> *

Horace Binney Horace Binney (January 4, 1780 – August 12, 1875) was an American lawyer, author, and public speaker who served as an Anti-Jacksonian in the United States House of Representatives. Early life Binney was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the ...

(January 4, 1780 – August 12, 1875), US Congressman. * F. Carroll Brewster (May 15, 1825 – December 30, 1898), prominent Philadelphia lawyer, judge, state Attorney General *

Mark Wilkes Collet Mark Wilkes Collet (June 2, 1826 – May 3, 1863) was a Union Army officer who served during the American Civil War. He served as Colonel and commander of the 1st New Jersey Volunteer Infantry regiment, a unit he led from the Second Battle of ...

(June 2, 1826 – May 3, 1863), Civil War Union Army officer and physician. *

Constance Dallas Constance Hopkins Snow Dallas (April 28, 1902 – January 13, 1983) was an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she served on the Philadelphia City Council as a representative of the city's 8th district. Born in New York and ...

(April 28, 1902 – January 13, 1983), first woman elected to

Philadelphia City Council The Philadelphia City Council, the legislative body of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, consists of ten members elected by district and seven members elected at-large. The council president is elected by the members from among their number. Each ...

. *

James Barnet Fry James Barnet Fry (February 22, 1827 – July 11, 1894) was an American soldier and prolific author of historical books. Family and Early career Fry, who was born in Carrollton, Illinois, was the first child of General Jacob G. Fry (September 2 ...

(February 22, 1827 – July 11, 1894), Civil War Union brigadier general. *

John R. Goldsborough Commodore John R. Goldsborough (2 July 1809 – 22 June 1877) was an officer in the United States Navy. Goldsborough was made a cadet-midshipman in 1824 and as such saw action in the Mediterranean against pirates. In one incident, while in charge ...

(July 2, 1809 – June 22, 1877), Civil War Union naval officer and later United States Navy commodore * Faustina Hasse Hodges (7 August 1822 – 4 February 1895), English-American organist and composer *

Henry K. Hoff Rear Admiral Henry Kuhn Hoff (1809 – 25 December 1878) was a United States Navy officer. During his long career, he took part in combat in Sumatra and in the American Civil War. Hoff was born in Pennsylvania. He was appointed a midshipman ...

(d. December 25, 1878), United States Navy Rear-Admiral. * Emlen Trenchard Littell, American church architect * Robert Morris, Jr. (d. August 13, 1863), Civil War Union Army officer. * The Rt. Rev.

Henry Ustick Onderdonk Henry Ustick Onderdonk (March 16, 1789 – December 6, 1858) was the second Episcopal bishop of Pennsylvania. Early life Onderdonk was born in New York City.Batterson, 94 He studied at Columbia University, receiving his degree in 1805, and then ...

, second bishop of the

* John Grubb Parke (September 22, 1827 – December 16, 1900), Civil War Union Major General. *

William Stevens Perry William Stevens Perry (January 22, 1832 – May 13, 1898) was a 19th-century bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America and an educator. He served as the second bishop of the Diocese of Iowa from 1876 to 1898. Bio ...

(January 22, 1832 – May 13, 1898), historian, author, president of Hobart College, and second bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of Iowa The Episcopal Diocese of Iowa is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America which covers all of Iowa. It is in Province VI. Its offices are in Des Moines, and it has two cathedrals: the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in ...

. *

Walter Elmer Schofield Walter Elmer Schofield (September 10, 1866 – March 1, 1944) was an American Impressionist landscape and marine painter. Although he never lived in New Hope or Bucks County, Schofield is regarded as one of the Pennsylvania Impressionists ...

(September 10, 1867 – March 1, 1944), American Impressionist painter. * Anthony Taylor (October 11, 1837 – May 21, 1894), Civil War

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

Recipient. *

Martin Russell Thayer Martin Russell Thayer (January 27, 1819 – October 14, 1906) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. His grandnephew was John B. Thayer, who died on the sinking of the RMS ''Titanic'' ...

(1819–1906), US Congressman for Pennsylvania, 1863 to 1867. State Court Judge in 1867. *

Benjamin Chew Tilghman Benjamin Chew Tilghman (18211901) was an American soldier and inventor. He is best known as the inventor of the process of sandblasting. Early life He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on October 26, 1821, the third child of Benjamin and An ...

(October 26, 1821 – July 3, 1901), Civil War Union Brevet Brigadier General, inventor of

sandblasting Sandblasting, sometimes known as abrasive blasting, is the operation of forcibly propelling a stream of abrasive material against a surface under high pressure to smooth a rough surface, roughen a smooth surface, shape a surface or remove su ...

. *

Stephen Decatur Trenchard Stephen Decatur Trenchard (July 10, 1818 – November 15, 1883) was a rear admiral in the United States Navy. He was present at the Battle of Taku Forts in 1859, and commanded the supply ship and gunboat throughout the American Civil War, seei ...

(July 11, 1818 – November 15, 1883), United States Navy Rear-Admiral. *

John Wanamaker John Wanamaker (July 11, 1838December 12, 1922) was an American merchant and religious, civic and political figure, considered by some to be a proponent of advertising and a "pioneer in marketing". He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a ...

(July 11, 1838 – December 12, 1922), businessman, founder of chain of

Wanamaker's John Wanamaker Department Store was one of the first department stores in the United States. Founded by John Wanamaker in Philadelphia, it was influential in the development of the retail industry including as the first store to use price tags. ...

Department Stores of Philadelphia and New York, founder of Bethany Presbyterian Church and a prominent Christian layman, and Postmaster General of the United States. * (Lewis) Rodman Wanamaker (13 February 1863 – 9 March 1928), son of John Wanamaker, philanthropist, artistic benefactor and patron of the

Wanamaker Organ The Wanamaker Grand Court Organ, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (United States of America) is the largest fully-functioning pipe organ in the world, based on the number of playing pipes, the number of ranks and its weight. (The Boardwalk H ...

. *

William Halsey Wood William Halsey Wood (April 24, 1855 – March 13, 1897) was an American architect. Early life Wood was the youngest of four sons born to Daniel Halsey Wood and Hannah Lippincott Wood. Shortly after his birth in 1855, the family relocated from ...

(April 24, 1855 – March 13, 1897), architect, one of four finalists in the competition for the design of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.''The Ancestry and Posterity of Matthew Clarkson'', by J. R. T. Craine

Gallery

Image:Lych-gate-at-St-James-the-Less.png,

Lychgate A lychgate, also spelled lichgate, lycugate, lyke-gate or as two separate words lych gate, (from Old English ''lic'', corpse), also ''wych gate'', is a gateway covered with a roof found at the entrance to a traditional English or English-style ch ...

at St. James the Less File:St. James the Less. Falls of Schuylkill, from Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views.jpg, Church interior, circa 1870s-90s File:StJamestheLessCeiling.jpg, Painted ceiling of the chancel

References

External links

* *
Listing and images
at Philadelphia Architects and Buildings

Saint James the Less Episcopal Churchyard
at

Find A Grave Find a Grave is a website that allows the public to search and add to an online database of cemetery records. It is owned by Ancestry.com. Its stated mission is "to help people from all over the world work together to find, record and present fin ...

John E. Carver, architect

2010 dissertation
on the deterioration of the Wanamaker Memorial Tower, final resting place of

and his family.

Article on the heritage of the Wanamaker Memorial Tower spotlighting its uncertain future in light of structural deterioration.
Church of St. James the Less: 125th Anniversary Booklet (1971)
from Philadelphia Studies
A Brief History and Guide to the Church of St. James the Less (1983)
from Philadelphia Studies
Let us Give Thanks to the Lord: An Act of Thanksgiving on the One Hundredth Anniversary of Church of St. James the Less (1946)
from Philadelphia Studies
Charter and Bylaws of the Church of St. James the Less (1918)
from Philadelphia Studies
History of Church of St. James the Less (1923)
{{DEFAULTSORT:James the Less, Church of Saint Cemeteries in Philadelphia Churches in Philadelphia Episcopal churches in Pennsylvania Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia Historic American Buildings Survey in Philadelphia Churches completed in 1846 19th-century Episcopal church buildings National Historic Landmarks in Pennsylvania 1846 establishments in Pennsylvania Upper North Philadelphia Gothic Revival architecture in Pennsylvania Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania