Fiske Door St. Mark's Episcopal Church - Philadelphia, PA
Posted by: 
silverquill
N 39° 56.917 W 075° 10.121
18S E 485590 N 4422067
The portal was designed by architects Zanzinger, Borie & Medary in 1923 and was created by the Philadelphia studios of Samuel Yellin and Nicola d'Ascenzo. The polychromed figures set into the stained glass tympanum depict Christ in Majesty.
Waymark Code: WM2R2J
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 12/11/2007
Views: 118
Saint Mark's Episcopal Church was founded in 1847 and actually built between 1848 and 1849 according to designs by John Notman, the architect who later designed nearby St. Clement's Church and the Church of the Holy Trinity.
ST. MARK'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH - PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
Saint Mark's Church was specifically founded to reflect the theology of the Oxford Movement, a movement within the Anglican Church to reclaim its catholic heritage. The architect's designs were approved in advance by the Ecclesiological Society in London. The building's architecture is in the Decorated Gothic style of the late 13th and 14th centuries, and it is regarded as one of the best examples of this Gothic Revival style.
In the latter part of the 19th century what had been the rather plain interior of the church became more highly decorated as the ritual movement within the catholic branch of the Anglican Church began to exert more influence. Much of the embellishment that you see as you look around stems from the period between about 1890 and 1923.
FISKE DOOR ST. MARK'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH - PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
Come unto me all that are heavy laden, and I will give you rest
The main entrance to the church is through the Fiske Doors, which give many passers-by a memorable impression of Saint Mark's Church. The doors are a brilliant red and may have been the first red church doors in Philadelphia - they certainly seemed scandalous when they were installed according to contemporary newspaper articles. The polychromed figures set into the stained glass tympanum depict Christ in Majesty with the legend "Come unto me all that are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." The portal was designed by architects Zanzinger, Borie & Medary in 1923 and was created by the Philadelphia studios of Samuel Yellin and Nicola d'Ascenzo.