History and Tourbook

Saint Peter’s in the 1800s. We had an entire side yard!

The congregation was founded in 1842. Originally built in 1867, the church was a wooden structure that was eventually covered in stucco. When the interior was renovated and the building expanded in 1932, the church was encased in red brick and stone to match the newly constructed Parish House built for the Parish’s Church School. In 1958, the white interior of the church was painted a pale pink. Other ornamental work was added in various places. The back wall of the chancel was painted a dark rose and decorated with crosses and crowns in gold leaf.

Now we only have a street tree!

Between 2013 and 2015, the sanctuary of the church was restored, providing worshippers with a bright, clean and less ornamented interior that enables a better focus on worship. The magnificent centerpiece of the sanctuary, the Connick stained glass window of Christ the King, was removed and completely restored between 2014 and 2015.

The nave, narthex, and Saint Elizabeth’s Chapel have beautiful stained glass windows crafted and executed by several different companies. The first window was designed and installed in 1917. Four windows are the work of the well-known stained glass window firm Wilbur Herbert Burnham of Boston. In 1932 as part of the remodeling of the building, two windows were added from the famed Connick Studio of Boston: the three-paneled window above the High Altar mentioned above and the Saint Elizabeth of Hungary window in the St. Elizabeth Chapel.

Our Church Tourbook (PDF) provides a virtual walkthrough of our beautiful church, including color images of our stained glass windows and explanations of their meaning.

Saint Peter’s celebrated its 175th anniversary in November 2018. For an overview of our church’s long history of service in Cambridge, see this church history prepared for the commemorative service.

Pastoral And Administrative

Past Saint Peter’s Episcopal Church Priests

Guiding our flock with wisdom and compassion, our pastors and administrative staff are dedicated to nurturing our faith community