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Our Lady of Grace, Dearborn Heights, Michigan

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MSGC : Collections : Window

Window

Building Name: St. James Episcopal Church

Studio Name: Lamb (J. and R.) Co.

City: Birmingham

Window Shape: 2 (rectangle)

Subject/Title of Window: Blessed Are Those Who Are Persecuted For Righteous Sake - St Catherine

Brief Description of Subject: This is the fifth of six aisle windows that use a Saint to illustrate one of the Beatitudes. The eighth Beatitude is "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteous sake: For theirs is the kingdom of heaven" Matthew 5:10 KJV. For this window, St. Catherine of Alexandria has been chosen to illustrate this Beatitude.
 
St. Catherine (287 - 305), according to tradition, was born into royalty. The Roman Emperor decreed all his subjects must make an offering to his god. As this was not the true God, Catherine refused, and wisemen were called in to convince her of her error. She not only refuted them, she converted them to Christianity. The Emperor was furious and sent her to be tortured on a breaker wheel. However, when this wheel miraculously broke, he killed the torturers, and had her martyred with a sword.
 
St. Catherine is costumed in princely garb, and wearing a crown indicating her royalty. In one hand she is holding a book referring to her learned debate with the wisemen. Her other hand is on the wheel that broke while she was being tortured. To the right of her is a palm tree symbolizing her martyrdom --- victory over death. In the predella is a breaker wheel, now commonly called a "Catherine's Wheel."
 
The maker's signature appears at the bottom right as "The J & R Lamb Studios."

Inscriptions: St. Catherine
Blessed Are They Which Are Persecuted For Righteous Sake For Theirs Is The Kingdom Of Heaven
The J & R Lamb Studios


Height: 57"

Width: 37"

Type of Glass and Technique: Antique or Cathedral Glass

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