About the Fenestrated Cross

When the First United Methodist Church in  Burlington was built in 1870, it was soon apparent that the steeple cross was unusual. The preceding small wooden church on the site had no steeple cross, like the vast majority of Troy Conference churches at the time. The form of our steeple cross, sometimes referred to as a fenestrated cross (from the Latin fenestra meaning window), is still unique among the churches of Troy Conference.

Ten years after the new church was completed, the black walnut trim was removed because the doors were too heavy. This left the oak inner structure as the outer material. The job foreman carefully salvaged the black walnut and told the trustees it was too valuable to be discarded. For over a hundred years the lumber slumbered under the watchful eye of the trustees.

Florence Greene, our church historian at the time, researched the origin of the fenestrated cross and concluded that our steeple cross resembled the Celtic fenestrated cross, also know as the Cross of Iona. The small island of Iona, on the western coast of Scotland, was the route by which Christianity was introduced into Britain from Ireland and is the burial site of some fourteen Scottish Kings, including MacBeth.

Louise Hydon, a former church member, offered an interpretation of the structure of our steeple cross, with its circle that seems to fit the cross perfectly. As she describes her perception of the parts of the cross, the cross itself reminds us of Christ's sacrifice for us. The upright arm at the top represents our relationship to God. The two side arms represent the world wide Christian outreach of our church. The single arm at the bottom represents each of us as individuals and our connection to God. The circle speaks to the eternal nature of our faith.

Some years ago, in the Christmas Bazaar days, the Methodist Men had a booth and sold small replicas of our steeple cross. A few were sold but there was no way large quantities could be made. In the year 2002, thanks to the woodworking skills of our members with modern tools, quantity production has been possible. The beautiful black walnut wood has been put to use to provide the replica crosses for our church members which were distributed on Pentecost Sunday, 2003. Dr. Edward Irwin organized the project with the assistance of Chuck Shadel, Fred Jackson and Bruce Venner. Almost 300 crosses were made out of the wood from the original church doors.