St. Alban the Martyr

The St James of Nisibis Window


This page is part of our project "Revealing St Alban's Hidden Heritage" supported by a grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to players of The National Lottery.


Chosen for a memorial to James Pollock, the central porion of this window by Frank Albert Smallpiece was installed in St Patrick's Church, Frank Street in December 1900.

The surrounding glass added when it was installed here in 1983 is by Tony Naylor, glazier, in collaboration with architect John Buchnall of the John Osborne Partnership.

St. James of Nisibis (also known as Jacob – the Latin is the same) is not well known. He holds a scroll with a Greek text from the Nicene Creed: γεννηθέντα οὐ ποιηθέντα, ὁμοούσιον τῷ Πατρί, δι' οὗτὰ πάντα ἐγένετο – "begotten, not made, of one substance with the Father, through Whom all things were made” – he is said to have taken part in the Council of Antioch in 341 where these elements of the creed were reaffirmed.