Faceless Angel

The face of this angel has crumbled away on the facade of St. Francis of Assisi (formerly St. James) Church on Delaware Avenue.

Chestnut Angel

A stained glass angel on Chestnut Street, just above Dove Street.

A Little Iron Angel

A petite angel atop a monument on the North Ridge of the Albany Rural Cemetery. She is missing one wing and no longer fastened to the stone, but someone must repaint her once in a while.

Stained Glass Angel

Albany Rural Cemetery is full of artistic gems, from architecturally impressive vaults to delicate statues hidden off the beaten path. A number of its mausoleums feature beautiful stained glass windows (including at least one exquisite piece by Tiffany). This angel with a rich amber and crimson color scheme and a vivid stylized sun ornaments the Lathrop-Lawton vault not far from the Schuyler and Corning family plots.

The Lathrop Angel

Half-hidden behind larger, more imposing Lathrop family monuments along the edge of the Moordenaerskill ravine in Albany Rural Cemetery, this graceful angel seems to be contemplating her own broken wings. Every so often, someone tucks a flower or two in her hands.

Ivy

English ivy winds its way up a tree as a little angel perches on a birdbath in this small shaded garden near the Empire State Plaza

Angels On High

The Angel Gabriel atop the 175 ft. spire of St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church is one of the most recognizable features of the downtown Albany skyline.

Not only is the Angel quite a lovely site from any angle, it's also a working weather-vane.

St. Mary's is one of the area's oldest churches having been founded in 1797, but its history goes back to a 17th-century Dutch barn that previously occupied the lot at the corner of present day Lodge and Chapel Streets. When St. Isaac Jogues escaped from his first captivity among the Mohawks, it was at that barn (Jogues, a French Jesuit missionary, was killed by Mohawks a few years later).

This beautiful building is not the original St. Mary's, but the third. The first was built in 1797 and its original cornerstone is preserved in the current sacristy. The second church was built in 1808 by Albany's leading architect Philip Hooker and its original corner stone is preserved in the current sacristy. When that building and the Marquis de Lafayette attended Mass there during his visit to Albany. The current building was erected under the supervision of Father Clarence Walworth.

History of St. Mary's