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Featured Window

Window of the Month
Our Lady of Grace, Dearborn Heights, Michigan

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Window

Building Name: St. John's Episcopal Church

Studio Name: Willet Hauser Architectural Glass

City: Royal Oak

Window Shape: 2 (rectangle)

Subject/Title of Window: Lydia

Brief Description of Subject: This window was designed for this parish's Gothic styled church which opened in 1926. Subsequently the congregation needed a larger church and replaced this one with a modern styled church which opened in 1957. The stained glass windows were moved to the new church. This window is now located on the second level of the Gospel side transept.

This is the "Lydia Window" and is bordered with geometrical patterns as well as buildings, birds, fish, boats, angels and miniature scenes.

Lydia is considered to be the first convert to Christianity in Europe. The story of her conversion is found in Acts 16:14 - 15 --- Paul was preaching outside the city of Philippi and "one of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. When she and members of her household were baptized, she invited us [Paul and his companions] to her home. 'If you consider me a believer in the Lord,' she said, 'come and stay at my house.' And she persuaded us." (NIV)

At the top of the window, is an angel holding a shield with a picture of a scallop shell, which symbolizes her baptism into the Christian Faith.

Below is the figure of Lydia holding a jar, symbolizing her profession in the dye trade, and grape leaves with a bunch of grapes, symbolizing her conversion to the Christian Faith. Above her head is a small scene of her baptism by St. Paul. Because of her profession as a dealer in purple cloth, Lydia is known as the "Woman of Purple," hence the artist has costumed her in purple. The inscription is found in Revelation 14:13 ASV --- "And I heard the voice from heaven saying, Write blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; FOR THEIR WORKS FOLLOW WITH THEM."

Originally this window would have had a memorial inscription at the bottom, however it has been removed to fit the window into its present location. Church records indicate it was given in memory of certain faithful departed and dedicated on June 3, 1945.

Inscriptions: For their works follow with them
Lydia


Condition of Window: Good

Type of Glass and Technique: Lead Came

Lydia
Lydia
Lydia top
Lydia top
Lydia bottom
Lydia bottom

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