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

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Window

Building Name: Cathedral of St. Paul

Studio Name: Willet Hauser Architectural Glass

City: Detroit

Window Shape: 3 (arched)

Date of Window: 1965

Subject/Title of Window: St. Paul, St. Ignatius, St. Polycarp

Brief Description of Subject: The clerestory in the nave consists of 12 bays, 6 on each side, and each bay is made up of three lancets. The original intention was to have all of the lancets depict saints. This window, which was to be part of that plan, was designed by Charles J. Connick and its design was approved by the bishop and accepted by the vestry in 1933. The donor was listed as "On Vestry: Mr. F.C. Gilbert." At some point the Church abandoned that plan and the realization of that design now resides in the narthex.

This is Connick's description for this window:

"The three saintly characters here presented in symbols and symbolic figures are famous 'Christian Soldiers'. The theme for this group may well be the words on the book held by the first of the group, St. Paul: 'I have fought a good fight, ... I have kept the faith' (II Timothy IV:7).

St. Ignatius and St. Polycarp, disciples of St. John the Evangelist and militant missionaries, appear as bishops in the early Eastern Church. The former holds a symbol recalling the ancient tradition that after his martyrdom the name of Jesus was found written on his heart. The lion, symbol of his martyrdom, appears on his shield and ornaments his garment.

The figure of St. Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, holds a book bearing the words from his Epistle to the Philippians, 'He that has charity is far from all sin'. His martyrdom is symbolized in the knife which he holds, and the faggots ornamenting his garment. The knife and flames appear also in the coat of arms.

The rose, symbol of the Messiah, and the grapevine, symbolizing the growth and fruitfulness of the Gospel, form decorative motifs in the borders and backgrounds.

These significant concepts are reflected in symbolic color, which is akin to music in the expression of spiritual values."

Height: 61"

Width: 30"

Type of Glass and Technique: Antique or Cathedral Glass, Lead Came, Vitreous Paint, Silver Stain

St. Paul, St. Ignatius, St. Polycarp
St. Paul, St. Ignatius, St. Polycarp
St. Paul
St. Paul
St. Ignatius
St. Ignatius
St. Polycarp
St. Polycarp

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