Featured Window

Our Lady of Grace, Dearborn Heights, Michigan

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MSGC : Collections : Window

Window

Building Name: St. Paul Lutheran Church

City: Dearborn

Window Shape: 6 (gothic arched, more than 2 vertical sections)

Subject/Title of Window: Symbols and Angels

Brief Description of Subject: This window, located in the Epistle side transept, consists of four lancets under a canopy. An addition to the Church building necessitated the window be shortened. This was done by removing the predellas from the lancets. The predellas are now stored in the basement. Only three of them had an inscription for a donor.
 
In the canopy's quatrefoil is a bunch of grapes. Grapes can be used as a symbol for the Blood of Christ or Jesus, from His words recorded in John 15:5, "I am the vine."
 
The first and fourth lancets of this window, although of the same length as others, are of a different design than any other window in the Church. They sport a floral design using tulips. Tulips are a symbol of the Resurrection as they remain as a bulb underground and rise up and spring to new life around Easter time. The first lancet's scene in the barbed quatrefoil features an angel "praising the Lord with a harp" (Psalm 33:2). The fourth lancet's barbed quatrefoil pictures an angel with a banner. Unfortunately, the words inscribed on that banner are no longer legible.
 
Two of the predellas stored in the basement can be identified as coming from these lancets, but not which belong to which. The donor of one of these lancets was Theodore Jaeger, who was Pastor from 1903 to 1913, while the other was August Wallman.
 
The second and third lancets are of the same design as the first and fourth lancets in the facade window. Likely these four were aisle windows in the previous Church. In the second lancet's roundel is an altar cross --- a cross on a base so that it can be placed on an altar. The base on this altar cross consists of three steps making it a "Calvary Cross." The steps symbolize three gifts from the Holy Spirit, faith, hope, and love, as written by St. Paul in Chapters 12 and 13 of 1 Corinthians. The artist has chosen a cross fleury (flower) for this altar cross. The flower at the ends of the cross is a lily, symbolizing either the Resurrection (Easter Lily) or the Trinity (three petals). In the third lancet's roundel is a baptsmal font with a descending dove. The descending dove is a symbol for the Holy Spirit. This comes from Christ's baptism where "The Spirit came down from heaven as a dove," John 1:32.
 
Two of the predellas stored in the basement can be identified as coming from these lancets, only one of these has the inscription of the donor's name. At this time not able to determine which of these two lancets was donated by Frederick Eichstadt.

Inscriptions: Pastor Jaeger
August Wallman
Frederick Eichstadt


Height: 19' or 12'

Width: 12'

Type of Glass and Technique: Opalescent Glass, Antique or Cathedral Glass

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All images in the Index are either born-digital photographs of windows or buildings or are scans of slides, prints, or other published sources. These images have been provided by volunteers and the quality of the material varies widely.

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