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Our Lady of Grace, Dearborn Heights, Michigan

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MSGC : Collections : Window

Window

Building Name: Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament

Studio Name: Willet Hauser Architectural Glass

City: Detroit

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

Subject/Title of Window: The Agony in the Garden

Brief Description of Subject: At the top of all of the apse windows are beautiful angels holding a scroll and shields at their feet. The inscriptions prefigure that the Messiah would suffer and die for us. Panel one: Psalm 60:20-21 "I LOOKED FOR SOME PITY BUT THERE WAS NONE .... They gave me gall for my meat and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink." Panel 2: Psalm 69:20 "YET IT PLEASED THE LORD TO BRUISE HIM; he hath put him to grief .... Christ by offering himself will give life to the Church, and cause them to live forever." Panel 3: Luke 2:35 "A SWORD SHALL PIERCE THINE OWN HEART (soul)." Panel 4: Isaiah 53:4 "SURELY HE HATH BORNE OUR GRIEFS, and carried our sorrows .... but he was wounded for our transgressions .... And the Lord hath laid on him the inequity of us all." The shields contain Christian symbols, some of which pertain to the Passion ---- cross in a heart that is dripping blood (Christ shed his blood for our salvation), a noose (Judas hung himself), a chalice (in this context, Gethsemane), drops of blood (while praying at Gethsemane, Jesus sweated blood), and a sword with an ear (at Gethsemane, Peter in trying to prevent Jesus from being arrested, draws his sword and cuts off the ear of Malchus, the high priest's servant). The angel in the second panel has the Hebrew letters for "Yahweh" (God) inside a triangle --- symbol for the Trinity.

The "Agony in the Garden" is covered in all four Gospels. The Gospels of Mark and Matthew say that only three Apostles were present, Peter, James the Greater and John. In the first panel is found James the Greater and John with the scriptural quote "DISCIPLES HE FOUND SLEEPING FOR SORROW." The second panel's scriptural quote reads (Take this) CHALICE FROM ME." In the third panel is found Peter armed with a sword; and in the scriptural quote, the Lord was admonishing him to "PRAY LEST YOU ENTER INTO TEMPTATION." Another scriptural quote is at the bottom of the panel, Jesus tells the sleeping Apostles to "RISE up, let us go; lo, he that betrayed me is at hand." The fourth panel's depiction comes from the Gospel of John "Judas got a band of soldiers and guards from the chief priests and the Pharisees and went with lanterns, torches and weapons." The scriptural quote is from Luke "and while sleeping, BEHOLD, there came a crowd, and a MAN CALLED JUDAS." At the bottom of the scene there are symbols inside the arches. The outer arches contain decorative symbols while the inner panels contain grapes (blood of Christ) surrounded by the Greek letters "IC XC" (Christogram for "Jesus Christ"), and a cross surrounded by the Greek letters "Alpha" and "Omega" (Rev.22:13 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end").

The bottom portion of the window contains a potpourri of Christians, mostly young and beardless. There are both men and women dressed in clothes that dates from the Roman times, some are dressed as members of the clergy (priest, bishop, Cardinal), some are tonsured (monks), some carry Christian symbols which include --- a cross, chalice, palm frond, Chi-Rho Christogram, book, and prayer beads.

From the Guide to the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Copyright 1958, Archdiocese of Detroit.
The windows in the apse represent the chief events in the Passion and Death of Christ.  At the extreme left, we see in the first panel the sleeping apostles, weary of watching with the Master.  The second panel represents Our Saviour in His agony and bloody sweat.  In the next St. Peter is shown sleeping, and finally there is a picture of Judas pointing Christ out to the soldiers.

Inscriptions: TRISTUS EST ANIMA MEA USQUE AD MORTEM
(Matt 26:38 Douay-Rheims) My soul is sorrowful even unto death


Height: 25'

Width: 8.5'

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