Featured Window

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 Assumption Window

Brief Description of Subject: The Assumption Window is located in the "Lady Chapel". This is what Normans named a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

The Canopy of this window is decorated with praying angels and angels with a censer.

The top scene uses the three middle panels to depict the Assumption of Mary. Spread across the top of these panels is the words from the Annunciation --- (Luke 1:30) "And the angel said to her, fear not Mary for thou hast found grace with God." Mary is being portrayed as the woman in Rev. 12:1 ---= "clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars." The artist has used a pose very reminiscent of the Assumption paintings by the 17th Century painter Bartolome Estban Murillo. Across the bottom of these panels is the main inscription from Luke 1:28 (Douay-Rheims). The left end panel is St. Elizabeth with her son John the Baptist. The inscription at the top of this panel are the words said by Simeon at the Presentation ---Luke 2:30 "Mine eyes (have) seen thy salvation." St. Elizabeth is holding a banner with the words that her son will utter -- "Ecce Agnus Dei" (Behold the lamb of God). The far right panel is St. Anne teaching her daughter, the Virgin Mary, to read from the Old Testament. Above Anne's head is a crown which could symbolize our reward in heaven or Mary as Queen of Heaven. The words at the top of the panel "Jesus increased in wisdom" comes from Luke 2:52.

The five lancets at the bottom of this window each contain an event in the life of the Virgin Mary. Left to right: Annunciation, Nativity, Holy Family teaching Christ to read, Holy Family in Joseph's workshop, Jesus appearance to Mary after the Resurrection. Under these events are seen angels holding signs that are the verses that begin the Magnificat (words spoken by Mary at the Visitation); Luke 1:46-48 "My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaiden; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed." Also seen is a triangle with the Hebrew word "Yahweh" (God) -- this is the symbol for the "Trinity". On the far right is an angel (Mary?) praying over the scriptures (symbol of humility) and a dog (faithful) at her feet.

From the Guide to the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Copyright 1958, Archdiocese of Detroit.
In the center Mary receives from her Son the reward of her sinlessness.  To her right and left are some of the heavenly hosts who sing her praises as she comes to rule them as Queen of Heaven.  Standing before Mary are her cousins, St. Elizabeth and St. John the Baptist.  At the extreme right is St. Anne, Mary’s Mother, with young “chosen one of God” standing before her.

Inscriptions: The Lord is with Thee, Blessed art Thou Among Woman


Height: 18'

Width: 10'

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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