Featured Window

Our Lady of Grace, Dearborn Heights, Michigan

Click any image to enlarge.

MSGC : Collections : Window

Window

Building Name: New City Presbyterian Church (formerly Drayton Avenue Presbyterian Church)

Studio Name: Willet Hauser Architectural Glass

City: Ferndale

Window Shape: 4 (rounded or rose window)

Date of Window: 1958

Subject/Title of Window: Holy Week

Brief Description of Subject: This facade window features seven images from Holy Week. The background is geometrically conceived. It is constructed with six circles, and three six pointed star like shapes nestled into each other diminishing as you view from the circumference to the center of the window. The number six is the number of the Creation, symbolizing God's divine power.
 
All quotes from the NKJV Bible.
 
The symbol in the center is the Lamb of God carrying the Victory over Death banner. The "Lamb of God" is the name the Hebrews gave the sacrificial at the Passover. It was an unspotted lamb that was sacrificed so that its blood could be used as a signal to the angel of Death to pass over their house, saving them from death, and enabling them to escape their bondage in Egypt. It is John the Baptist that applied this term to Jesus when he greeted Him "Behold the Lamb of God," John 1:29, foretelling that Jesus, like the Passover lamb, will die and shed His blood for our salvation. The "Victory over Death" banner refers to Christ's resurrection --- victory over death..
 
The images surrounding the Lamb of God starting at the top and proceeding clockwise:
 
1. Crown of Thorns, John 19:1. "The soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on his head."
 
2. Three Nails. Surprisingly none of the Gospels tell whether Christ was nailed or tied to the cross, but it is inferred from John 20:25, Thomas said, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand in His side, I will not believe."
 
3. A Scourge, John 19:1. Then Pilate took Jesus and scourged him."
 
4. Crossed draped with a White Cloth. A Christian tradition is to drape a black cloth on the cross at Christ's death on Good Friday. It remains there until Easter morning when it is replaced with a white cloth indicating He has risen.
 
5. Seamless Tunic worn by Christ on the way to the cross and after His death the soldiers cast lots for it. "Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the tip in one piece," John 19:23.
 
6. Water Pitcher and Basin, Matthew 27:24. "When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, 'I am innocent of the blood of this just Person."
 
Lexan protection for  this window was installed in 1987 by the Continental Glass Company of Minnesota.

Condition of Window: good

Height: 8'

Width: 8'

Type of Glass and Technique: Antique or Cathedral Glass

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