Stained Glass Window Assignment
Page 31:
Page 31 contains window 41 and is the image of two saints, Saint Philomena and Saint Barbara. Stained glass windows are icons because not only are they objectively beautiful, but also, it invites the viewer in to see the invisible. The viewer is encouraged to see beyond the materiality of the glass. Particularly, the image of Saint Barbara invited me to contemplate this “invisible” aspect. Firstly, Saint Barbara's eyes appear to be looking directly at the viewer as if her gaze is following you. You instantly become trapped in her gaze and become curious about who she is and what she is trying to tell you. In her left hand, she’s holding a giant sword almost the size of her body and in her right hand, she’s holding a palm branch. The palm branch symbolizes victory, peace, and eternal life. This image makes her appear strong and someone who is willing to fight for what she believes in no matter the cost. Her narrative scene below is of her execution, but it’s contrasted by the beautiful trees, a stream of water, and her utter peace right before she is about to die. Even in the face of death, she kneels and worships God seemingly thankful for the life she lived and in a state of peace knowing she will be with him soon. Personally, this stained-glass image of Saint Barbara makes one trust God, his greatness, and his love. Due to her eyes looking directly at the viewer, I instantly trusted her. I trusted her to be someone that is strong and resilient. And even in the face of a painful death, she is at peace worshipping God. Thus, making me trust God and his love even more.
Page 34
Page 34 contains window 40 with images of Saint Crispin and Saint Ivo. The image of Saint Crispin particularly intrigued me. Unlike the other images of the saints, Saint Crispin is dressed in simple clothing rather than lavish and beautiful gowns. Saint Crispin stands ready to work, yet he holds his hand to his heart and is gazing up to the heavens. Thus, it appears while he values hard work, he also is devoted to God. Similarly, to the narrative scene of Saint Barbara, Saint Crispin is down on his knees praying to God as he is about to be executed. His faith has prepared him for this violent death. Personally, I believe this image reveals you don’t have to be high class or “known”, rather if you are faithful and devoted you will be at peace and prepared for anything including death.
Page 40
Page 40 contains window 39 with images of Saint Louis IX and Saint Dominic. This piece intrigues me due to the contrast of the two saints. Saint Louis IX is dressed in glamorous gowns of gold and red, wearing a crown, and holding a luxurious chalice. Whereas Saint Dominic is wearing bland robes of non-vibrant colors. However, it was the image of Saint Dominic that drew me in even more. He is gazing up to the heavens with what appears a slight smile. He is holding an open bible and a lily (my favorite flower) which symbolizes purity and devotion. In the narrative scene, Saint Dominic is kneeling before Mary and baby Jesus, as the Virgin Mary gives him a rosary. The rosary is more than just a tool used for prayer, but it symbolizes our path with God according to Mary’s example. Personally, from this image of Saint Dominic I see a simple and pure life devoted to living a king and prayerful life. To me, it’s refreshing and means that we can love God and lead a simple life according to the example left by Mary.
Page 43
Page 43 contains window 39 with images of Saint Isidore and Saint Sebastian. The image of Saint Sebastian particularly drew my gaze. Saint Sebastian is presented as a soldier and someone who is strong gazing up to the heavens. He holds a spear and a palm branch which is a martyr’s palm that also symbolizes ultimate victory, peace, and eternal life. In his narrative scene, Saint Sebastian is stripped from his clothes and is being bound to a tree to be prepared for execution. Similarly, to the other images of saints I’ve analyzed, he was someone willing to fight and die for what he believes in. He still looks up to the heavens despite being sentenced to death for worshipping God. After reading his history, he ends up healing from this initial execution to only be later killed in the street. This is even a greater testament to his strength, as he was given some hope that he would live, to only die a brutal death shortly after. Despite all this, he still looks up to the heavens to praise God. In addition to the image of Saint Sebastian, the similar stories of Saint Barbara, a wealthy woman, Saint Dominic, of a poor and simple man, and Saint Crispin, a hardworking man, all share very similar stories. Thus, revealing that despite our differences we are all the same. We are all equal in God’s eyes. Even though Saint Barbara was wealthy they have experienced the same brutal death for worshipping God
Page 52
Page 52 contains window 37 with images of Saint Angela Merici and Saint Rose of Lima. In particular, Saint Angela Merici drew me in. Saint Angela Merici eyes look directly at you, which draws the viewer in. Upon further looking, her eyes appear to be full of immense sorrow and the slight tilt of her head makes the viewer curious about who is she and what happened. In the narrative scene, Saint Angela Merici is kneeling and talking to Jesus who appears to be floating on a cloud. This scene of her talking to Jesus revealed that she lived a life following Jesus and his kindness. Yet, it still begs the question of why she appears to be so sad? Saint Angela Merici is the patron saint of the handicapped person, loss of parents, and the sick. Thus, I believe that her face is full of sorrow because she has taken the sadness from the people around her. Through this image, I believe that she lived her life for the sake of others. She took other people’s sadness at the expense of her own happiness. Personally, I think she led a life of what it means to be kind, giving, and putting others above yourself. After gazing back at her I believe that I owe it to her to not let her life go in vain but to continue in her footsteps.
Page 70
Page 70 contained window 34 with images of Saint Elizabeth of Hungry and Saint Clotilde. This stained glass piece particularly drew me in due to the bright and vivid colors. These women appear to be strong, glamorous, and beautiful. They appear to be everything ordinary women strive to be. The detail of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary drew me in even further. She is wearing a dress rich in details and patterns. In her left hand she holds a loave of bread which is the symbol for sharing and giving and in her right, she holds a bouquet of pink roses which symbolize gratitude, grace, and joy. The story of Saint Elizabeth is that she hid food in her garments in order to feed the poor. The image displayed on the glass is her opening up her garments to reveal roses instead of the food she was hiding. By the time she reached the village the roses returned back to food. Later in life, she built a hospital, lived amongst the poor, and worked in the hospital until her death. Despite her wealth and status, she risked everything to give back to the poor and to help. She ultimately was rewarded by not getting caught and live the rest of her life devoted to helping the less fortunate. She lived a kind and giving life according to Mary example and she stands proudly gazing up at the heavens. This image of her makes me want to strive to be her and live the life she did.
Page 83
Page 83 contains Window 41 and 40 which are scenes of Adam and Eve and Cain killing his brother Abel. These are a part of the tympanum windows in the nave. These windows present the history of the Old Testament in 10 scenes. These two windows reveal a pretty basic understanding of stained-glass windows, which is that they were made for the illiterate to see the story of the Bible and God’s teachings. In the scene of Adam and Eve, Adam and Eve attempt to cover themselves in the bushes. God, Mary, and a snake are also present. Mary stands on the head of the snake as God comes from the heavens and points to Mary while his gaze is on Adam and Eve. It’s in Gensis 3:15 that “provide the key to reading this particular biblical narrative” (82). In sum, it’s known as the protoevangelium which is that first proclamation made by God in which he addresses the snake how the seed of the woman would crush the serpent’s head. Per father Sorin, it’s the “first revelation of God’s eternal plan of redemption” as it’s the “promise of delivery from sin and death” (82).
Next, Cain killing his brother Abel from Gensis 4:18 reveals Cain’s jealousy and the continuation of the sin that began with his parents, Adam and Eve. Per Father Sorin, it represents Jesus who would later be killed by his brothers. I think this image depicts the unjustness of killing particularly well. For instance, Cain grabbing and holding onto Abel revealing that this is an inmate killing that then knows each other and it’s out of passion. Additionally, Cain’s eyes look directly at Abel in a pleading and innocent fashion. Finally, the fire and smoke in the background complete the ominous and dark tone of the scene.
Page 84
Page 84 contains windows 39 and 40 which are scenes of Noah and Abraham and Isaac. The scene of Noah reveals him climbing up a ladder to emerge from the arch. He is greeted with a dove holding an olive branch and a rainbow. This scene reveals that the hard times are over. The dove presents peace and devotion, and the olive branch represents peace and victory. Thus, this image reveals that due to Noah’s devotion to God he was rewarded with peace and victory. In addition, the rainbow is a symbol of hope and represents the beauty that’s to come.
Next, the scene with Abraham and Isaac shows the angel stopping Abraham from sacrificing his son. This image is a pretty straight forward rendition of the story of Abraham and Isaac.
Page 107
Page 107 contains window 28 which depicts beautiful maidens to represent charity and religion. These windows are a part of the theological virtues section, and represent the virtues not acquired by humans but given by the Holy Spirit at Baptism as gifts. The window that represents charity particular drew my attention. The beautiful maiden is dressed inelegant robes and contains strings of pearls in her hair. These strings of pearls represent perfect love. In her right hand, she holds loaves of bread and has a coin purse, and in her left hand, she holds the Angus Dei disc. The loaves of bread and the coin purse represents giving and sharing to those in need. While holding the Angus Dei disc close to her heart represents everything that is done is in the name of Christ. In the scene below, it appears that Jesus is helping a sheep out of the thrones. Sheep symbolize obedience, loyalty, and devotion. Thus, it appears that Jesus is there to help those that are devoted and loyal. In addition, it reveals Jesus will find and release the sheep from the branches of sin just as he took up the cross.
Page 108
Page 108 contains window 28 which are the remaining theological virtues of Faith and Hope. Once again, the virtues are represented by a beautiful maiden. In particular, the beautiful maiden that represents hope drew me in. Hope is the feeling of desire for a certain thing to happen. The figure gazes up to the heavens yet points to the disc she is holding into her hand. Even though her gaze is upward, she directs us to look at the disc that represents hope. A hand from the clouds is revealed holding a cross and banner of the resurrection. The scene below depicts hope in everyday life. A group of people gathered around an open casket or a dead child. The people are looking up to the Lord, praying, begging, hoping for either life or for life in Heaven for this child.