Welcome to Covenant
The Church of the Covenant’s Tiffany windows are part of the largest, most extensive and complete Tiffany church interior nationwide.
The artful space includes 42 large Tiffany windows, a gigantic glass lantern, rare Tiffany glass mosaics, complex paint schemes, elaborate trusses and traceries, a bronze chancel rail, organ screens, decorative wainscoting, chancel furniture, a eagle lectern, a pulpit, pews, a baptismal font. The result is an amazing display of Tiffany’s artistic vision in one space that was designed for this space.
We are delighted to share the magnificent spiritual resource of this building with the city and the world. This building was one of the earliest of many extraordinary churches built after the landfill of the Back Bay was begun in the 1850s. In 1932 the Central Congregational Church and the First Presbyterian Churcht federated to create the Church of the Covenant.
As you look down Newbury St. from Boston’s Public Garden, you are drawn in by a beautiful Gothic Revival church a block away. The Church of the Covenant is an architectural and artistic gem on the corner of Newbury and Berkeley Streets in the Back Bay, an area of Boston known for beautiful historic landmarks.
In the 1850s the Back Bay area was designated as the new cultural and educational center of the city by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, with 40% if the area set aside for parks. By the time the church was built, the Natural History Museum was being constructed across the street and Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology given parcels of land next to the Museum. Built as Central Congregational Church in 1865-67, the church was designed by R.M. Upjohn of Upjohn and Son, the best known Gothic Revival architectural firm in the country. In the mid-1890s, the entire sanctuary was redecorated by Tiffany Glass and Decorating Co., the leading ecclesiastical decorating firm in the United States.
The Building’s Mission
The building is central to the mission and vision of the Church of the Covenant by providing a continued presence with historic roots to maintain social justice witness in the heart of Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood.
Since 1867 the imposing edifice at the corner of Newbury and Berkeley Streets has been home of Central Church Congregational for the first 88 years and Church of the Covenant since the 1932 federation with First Presbyterian Church. The church has a long history of reaching out to people from all walks of life, from all faiths, and even to those who profess no faith. This unique and historic Boston institution has inspired efforts in spiritual and social services, commitment to the arts, and an aesthetic contribution to the architectural and social landscape. The church has continually renewed its commitment to Boston and its people.
Ongoing Preservation Work
A multi-year Building Master Plan was completed and fundraising is on-going to preserve and restore the Tiffany Stained Glass Windows, Masonry, Sanctuary Lighting etc. Your generous donation ensures that this architectural and artistic landmark will remain to inspire future generations. Thank you for your generosity! You may contribute via the Donate page.