Featured Window

Our Lady of Grace, Dearborn Heights, Michigan

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MSGC : Collections : Window

Window

Building Name: The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Chapel

Studio Name: Emil Frei Associates, Inc.

City: Livonia

Window Shape: 5 (gothic arched, 2 vertical sections)

Subject/Title of Window: Creation

Brief Description of Subject: This two lancet aisle window is located on the epistle side of the public seating section of the Chapel. All aisle windows and transept windows have the same basic pattern, two lancet windows, the top symbol in each lancet sets the topic for that lancet, and the four symbols below are each encased in a geometrical shape surrounded by grisaille glass. The border and filler color used, like the geometric shape, is unique to the section of the Chapel they are located in --- the public section uses an ovalish shape and the color of amber.
 
The lancets cover the story of the six days of creation as covered in Genesis 1:1 - 31. 
 
Left lancet starting at the top.
 
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." The Creator is symbolized here with the right hand (the creator) passing through a cloud (heaven).
 
First Day: "And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light."
 
First Day Continued: "God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from darkness."
 
Second Day: "And God said, 'Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water' ... and God called the expanse 'sky.' And there was morning and night."
 
Third Day: "And God said, 'Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit and seed in it.' "
 
Right lancet starting at the top.
 
The right hand of God the Creator passing through a cloud (heaven).
 
Fifth Day: "And God said, 'Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly across the expanse of sky.' "
 
Fourth Day: "And God said, 'Let there be light in the expanse of the sky to separate day from night.' ... God made two great lights --- the greater light [sun] to govern the day and the lesser light [moon] to govern night. He also made the stars."
 
Sixth Day: "And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures ... livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals.' "
 
Sixth Day Continued: "God created man in his own image ... male and female." In this picture, the house shows human activity as smoke is seen rising from the chimney.
 
The date is unknown, but the windows were in place by 1944.

Height: 11'

Width: 6'

The MSGC is a constantly evolving database. Not all the data that has been collected by volunteers has been sorted and entered. Not every building has been completely documented.

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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