Featured Window

Our Lady of Grace, Dearborn Heights, Michigan

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MSGC : Collections : Window

Window

Building Name: Madonna University Welcome Center

City: Livonia

Window Shape: 3 (arched)

Subject/Title of Window: Sacred Heart of Jesus

Brief Description of Subject: The sides and canopy provide an architectural setting for this window. Of the six portraiture windows covered, three use the identical architecture while three use a different on.
 
Christ's garments are colored in white (divine nature), red (human nature), and purple (royalty). His right hand is raised with two fingers pointing upwards. This was the Roman pose meaning "I am speaking." In Christianity it is the sign of giving benediction (formed from the Latin words "bene" (well) and "dicere" (speak). The left hand is pointing to his exposed heart, and surrounding his head is the cruciform nimbus that in art can only be used for Jesus. The radiating light from his figure is called an "aureole" symbolizing a holy person.
 
Devotion to the Sacred Heart dates to the early 12th Century and has become one of the most widespread devotions in the Catholic faith. The Sacred Heart pictured here is made up of many symbols:
 
Heart, Flames, and Cross: The heart (love), flames (intense love), and cross (where Jesus died for our salvation). These can be summed up in John 15:13, "Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."
 
Crown of Thorns: John 19:2, "The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head."
 
Wound and Blood: John 19:34, "One of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water."
 
Rays of Light (surrounding heart): John 1:9, "The true light that gives light to every man."
 
In the background are instruments of the Passion: hammer, three nails, crown of thorns, flagellum and pillar of flagellation, basin and pitcher of water (washing Pilates hands), plaque with Greek letters "INRI (initials for Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews), and the three crosses of Calvary. To the right is seen leaves of holly which symbolize the crown of thorns as they have serrated leaves. The plants on the left are unidentified.
 
The predella, having been removed from the window, is now viewed below it. It contains the inscription "Sacred Heart of Jesus."

Inscriptions: SACRED HEART OF JESUS


Height: Lancet with predella: Height: 8 ft --- originally with predella 8 ft. 10 in. Predella: Height: 10 in.

Width: Width 3 ft. Predella: Width: 29 in (is shorter as in the closed church windows the predella was designed to allow air circulation.)

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.

If you have any questions, additions or corrections, or think you can provide better images and are willing to share them, please contact donald20@msu.edu