Tiffany Stained Glass Window (Christ in Blessing)

Christ in Blessing at the Abbey Mausoleum 

Location

Ballston Station/Central United Methodist Church
4201 Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203

Maps Directions Transit Parking

Artwork Details

Artist: Louis Comfort Tiffany
Material: Leaded stained glass
Expected: 2023/2024

The redevelopment of the Central United Methodist Church in Ballston provided an opportunity for a home for the Tiffany Window depicting Christ in Blessing, which will be restored and displayed within the publicly accessible lobby of the Church. 

The Tiffany Window depicting Christ in Blessing originally ornamented the Abbey Mausoleum in Arlington adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery.  In 2000, the U.S. Navy gained ownership of the site and decided to demolish the mausoleum based on its poor condition. Arlington County, through its Historic Preservation Program, was permitted to salvage architectural features from the building, including multiple stained glass windows.  Three other sets of such windows have since been restored and installed in County-owned buildings (Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington, Westover Library and Fairlington Community Center).  The subject window of Christ in Blessing is the largest of the windows and the last of the set to be restored. This window, dedicated to E. St. Clair Thompson, a prominent Mason interred at the mausoleum in 1933, bares the inscription “Louis C. Tiffany N.Y.”  

Restoration and installation funded by the Central United Methodist Church and Ballston Limited Partnership.