For the last couple of years, I have published posts about Boston’s angels. The city’s Puritan heritage means that we don’t have a lot of statues the way European cities do. Still, it’s possible to find angels high in the air, tucked in corners, lighting up sanctuaries, or decorating structures.
Here is a collection of 10 posts about the members of Boston’s angel host that I have been able to find. There are many, many more angels in stained glass windows but I have not done an exhaustive inventory. It might be a fun task, though. If you know of an angel outside of a cemetery that doesn’t appear here, please let me know. I’m always happy to find more.
Each entry is linked to the post that provides a lot more information and pictures. Here’s your chance to go angel hunting for the holidays without moving a step. Enjoy the trip.
Boston’s Angel Host
The Angel of the Waters
Location: Boston Public Garden
Medium: Sculpture
Sculptor: Daniel Chester French
Joseph Coletti’s Speedy Angels
Location: Sumner Tunnel, North End
Medium: Sculpture
Sculptor: Joseph Arthur Coletti
The Brattle Square Angels
Location: First Baptist Church, Back Bay Commonwealth Avenue
Medium: Sculpture
Artist: Frederic Auguste Bartholdi
The Solitary Church Court Angel
Location: Church Court, Back Bay
Medium: Sculpture
Sculptor: Gene Cauthen
The BPL’s Frieze of Angels
Location: Boston Public Library, Back Bay
Medium: Paint and plaster
Artist: John Singer Sargent
Cornelius and the Angel
Location: Church of the Covenant, Back Bay
Medium: Stained glass
Artist: Louis Comfort Tiffany
Thomas Gruchy’s Musical Angels
Location: Old North Church, North End
Medium: Carved and polychromed wood
Artist: Unknown
The Angels of Holy Cross Cathedral
Location: Holy Cross Cathedral, South End
Medium: Sculpture and stained glass
Artist: Unknown
The Tiffany Sanctuary
Location: Church of the Covenant, Back Bay
Medium: Brass
Artist: Louis Comfort Tiffany
Veteran’s Memorial Park
Location: The Fens, Back Bay
Medium: Sculpture
Artist: John F. Paramino
A Few Mortuary Angels
I don’t typically include the angel monuments found in cemeteries because mortuary angels don’t strike me as appropriate for a Christmas celebration. There are some exceptional angel statues, however, Here are two:
Martin Milmore and the Angel of Death
Location: Forest Hills Cemetery, Jamaica Plain
Medium: Sculpture
Artist: Daniel Chester French
Being Thankful for George Robert White
Location: Forest Hills Cemetery, Jamaica Plain
Medium: Sculpture
Artist: Daniel Chester French