Featured Window

Our Lady of Grace, Dearborn Heights, Michigan

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MSGC : Collections : Window

Window

Building Name: Cathedral of St. Paul

City: Detroit

Window Shape: 3 (arched)

Subject/Title of Window: Isaiah from a Jesse Tree

Brief Description of Subject: This Old Testament prophet is identifiable through the inscription on the banner --- Isaiah 11:1 "et egredietur virga de radice Iesse et flos de radice eius ascendet" (translation) and a shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse and a branch shall grow out of its roots.

Normally one could not determine a context for an isolated figure, however in this case one can be certain it came from a larger window whose subject was a Jesse Tree.

The rectangular piece under Isaiah's feet was added at a later time. Although the base was also added later, the medallion in the base, consisting of a wreath made up of intertwining branches having a shield in its center with a picture of a fleur-de-lis, is believed to be Medieval glass.

Made in Spain in the first quarter of the 16th century. Canopy and border are modern.

A notable collection of ancient stained glass has been presented to Saint Paul's Cathedral of Detroit, Michigan. There will be sufficient glass to fill twenty windows. Six double panels in the sanctuary on either side of the altar have been installed, and eight in the choir clerestory are yet to be placed.

The glass, dating from the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries, is thought to be of French and Spanish origin. It has an intriguing history relating to looted Spanish churches, journeys through France, and a haven with Belgian art collectors.

The panels contain figures representing siginificant characters from the Old and New Testaments. Though varied in design and scale, they are arranged to balance and harmonize well. Each panel is about two and a half to three feet wide and twelve to fourteen feet high. In the bright sunshine their colors fairly dance and sing in their ancient blues, purples, crimson and gold rays that play on the altar, throwing their radiance of changing light on the flowers there.

The light from these windows has revealed new beauties in the stone and wood carving which previously, in the dim light, were lost. They emphasize the height and vastness of the chancel, and illuminate the detail of carving of the great reredos, which is one of the mastepieces of the great Kirchmayer.

They recall the wording of the ancient prophecy that the "Earth shall be filled with the Glory of God as the waters cover the sea."
--Stained Glass, Autumn 1973

Inscriptions: ()ur virga de radice (I)esse () eius ascende(t)


Height: 89.75"

Width: 23.75"

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