When talk turned to how St Anne’s Church in Southampton could commemorate its 400th anniversary, Ruth Thomas knew she wanted to do something special.

None of her ideas felt quite right until she heard of the vestry’s plans to fill the last empty window with stained glass as part of the celebrations — but funds would be needed for the project.

“It was at that moment that I knew this is what I was supposed to do, I will donate this window,” Ms Thomas, who fell in love with St Anne’s after attending “quite by accident” one Sunday in 1964, told The Royal Gazette. “When the thought hit me, I thought I was going to have a heart attack because my heart started to race real fast, my chest was beating.”

Aside from being motivated by the need, the dramatic artist and expert on Bermuda’s culture and history knew it was the right fit because she has always loved stained-glass windows.

“I think they’re so wonderful. They seem to add a sense of reverence to the church. What is nice about them is that you can incorporate biblical sentiments. They’re just so warm and so sacred.”

The Southampton resident, a retired teacher who became the island’s first education officer for preschools and later Bermuda’s first cultural affairs officer, wanted to stay anonymous.

She met secretly with the Reverend David Matthews, the minister at the time, and stained-glass artist Vivienne Gardner to discuss what the window could depict.

“I just knew that I wanted to capture the history, the environment and I wanted lots and lots and lots of light — I love light,” Ms Thomas, who is also an author and performer, said.

When Ms Gardner suggested sail boats, Ms Thomas couldn’t quite picture it. But she said: “As soon as I saw her draft, her sample, I thought: ‘yes, this is it’.

“Our history, our culture in Bermuda, is so inextricably bound to the sea. You can’t get away from that.

“It’s a segment that touched everybody’s life, be it black, white, rich or poor, because the sea was a major part of transportation.”

Ms Gardner, who has been making stained-glass windows for six decades, added: “We came up with the idea of how people came to Bermuda over the 400 years and so we said sailing.

“At the bottom, there are the tall ships, like the Sea Venture would’ve been and the pilot boats.

“In the next section of the window, we have The Spirit of Bermuda — the boats they built here and the fitted dinghies.

“Further up are the regular racing yachts like you see out every Sunday. And also, I slipped in the America’s Cup boat.”

The top panel depicts Gibbs Hill Lighthouse and it was Ms Thomas’s idea for the light beams to form a cross.

“So it’s God’s light drawing people safely to the shore,” Ms Gardner explained.

Ms Thomas added: “For me it’s symbolic of Christ — the light of the world — and it should motivate us to let our light shine.”

And the inscription reads: “To God’s Glory and to commemorate all inhabitants and sailors who have come to these shores over the 400 years since St Anne’s was founded as Port Royal Church in 1616.”

The window was constructed in Florida, as per Ms Gardner’s detailed instructions. “I did complete, full-size drawings,” she said. “Everything was specified exactly as I wanted.”

It was installed in December and Ms Thomas said: “When I saw it, I just stopped dead in my tracks. I knew I liked the sample when I saw it but that was just on paper.

“To see it in all its glory in glass, I couldn’t help it; I was moved to tears. It was such a beautiful piece of work.

“The colours are so vivid — they are just brilliant. It almost looks like a 3-D work.

“It’s got so much motion in it and so much feeling. She did a fantastic job.”

A service of dedication presided over by the Right Reverend Nicholas Dill, Anglican Bishop of Bermuda, was held on January 16.