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: Zettler (F. X.) Studios

City: Livonia

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

Date of Window: 1961

Subject/Title of Window: Apostles Simon, Thaddeus, James Major

Brief Description of Subject: This window is located in the sanctuary. In 1961 the sanctuary was redesigned. The artistic designer for this project was Lelio De Ranieri, who had his studio in Detroit. He specialized in ecclesiastical designs. As part of this redesign, he had the four windows in the cupola replaced with stained glass featuring the Apostles, three to a window. These windows of his design were executed by F. X. Zettler, Munich.
 
Note all the predellas have a solid red circle in the center.
 
St. Simon: He is pictured with a book (preached the Gospel), and a saw. According to tradition, he was martyred by being sawed in half.
 
Predella: Seen is a Nativity scene --- a manger, cross, three crowns (Magi), and the Star of Bethlehem. Could not find an association between the Apostle Simon and the Nativity. Possibly a mistake, as there is a 14th Century monk named Simon whose attribute is the Nativity.
 
Thaddeus (Jude): He is seen here dressed in green (hope), holding a book (preached the Word of God), and a club. He is the Patron Saint of hopeless causes. This comes from St. Bridget's vision in which Jesus told her "Jude is the most willing to give help." A legend has Thaddeus martyred by a club at the statue of Diana.
 
Predella: Pictured here with a cross (Jesus) and a book (he wrote an epistle) opened to an Alpha and Omega (God). The Alpha and Omega was used to proclaim that Jesus was God as opposed to Arianism that denied his divinity. Although Arianism arose after the time of Jude, the symbols in the predella refer to verse 4 in the Epistle of Jude, "For certain men are ... denying the only sovereign Ruler, and our Lord, Jesus Christ."
 
James Major: Pictured with a book (preached the Word of God). Also seen is a pilgrims walking stick with a water gourd. Although martyred in Jerusalem he is buried in Spain where he had preached. His tomb was, and still is, one of the most popular pilgrimage destinations.
 
Predella: Seen here is a palm leaf (martyr), a sword (he was beheaded in Jerusalem), and a scallop shell (the badge for pilgrims who trek to James' tomb in Santiago.

Inscriptions: ST. SIMON
ST. THADDEUS
ST. JAMES MAJOR


Height: 9'

Width: 7'

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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