The works of sculpture, stained glass, and mosaic found throughout Glencairn, the former home of Raymond and Mildred Pitcairn and their family, in Bryn Athyn, PA, are governed by a distinctive symbolism based on the teachings of the New Church. Visitors to Glencairn Museum appreciate the unique design of this building and the superb creations in stone, wood, glass and metal. As Glencairn was being built from 1928 until 1939, the Pitcairn family lived next door at Cairnwood and witnessed the same artists and craftsmen who worked on Bryn Athyn Cathedral produce works of art for their own future home. Some of the most interesting examples of New Church symbolism in this building can be found in the Cloister:

“The focal point of this family cloister is found in the twelve capitals of the columns forming the inner arcade. Carved with fidelity and imagination, they depict twelve birds, each one repeated on the four faces of the capital but individual in feeling and detail. Together they present a symbolic story drawn from the teachings of the New Church as found in the doctrine of correspondences and representations…Birds, the winged creatures of the air, correspond to spiritual truths—those ideals in the mind that lift us above worldly concerns as the flight of a bird draws our eyes from the earth…Each stands for a specific ideal to be striven for; and the three together on a side present a general aspect of family love” (Glenn, E. Bruce. Glencairn: The Story of a Home. Bryn Athyn, PA: Academy of the New Church, 1990, 179-180).

As the stone carvers completed capitals for the Cloister, they set them on a balustrade at Cairnwood until they were ready for installation. One early photograph shows several of these capitals lined up on a balustrade, with Cairnwood visible in the background. Another shows two Pitcairn children posing with a capital carved with a ram and ewe, symbolizing the importance of a father and mother to a family. A third photo shows Glencairn’s Cloister under construction, with bird capitals resting on the floor near the door to the Great Hall.

Color photo: J. Kenneth Leap.