Window
Building Name: St. Mary Catholic ChurchCity: Royal Oak
Window Shape: 3 (arched)
Subject/Title of Window: Tower of Ivory
Brief Description of Subject: This clerestory window is one of 17 windows illuminating titles for the Virgin Mary found in the Litany of Loreto. The title pictured here is "Tower of Ivory."
Pictured is a tower of ivory. The suitability of this symbol for the title "Tower of Ivory," is described in the 1750 book "The Illustrated Litany of Loreto" by Franz Xavier Dornn and illuminated by the Klauber Studio. It was translated from Latin in 1878 by Thomas Canon Pope:
TOWER OF IVORY
It is recorded [1Kings 10:18] "King Solomon also made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with the finest gold." From this it is quite evident that he held ivory in the highest estimation. The Church also, for a similar reason, quite correctly and appropriately attributes to Mary the appellation Tower of Ivory, because ivory, or the tusk of the elephant is emblematic of exalted virtues. It is especially so in its extreme and incomparable whiteness, and this is indicative of the peerless virginity of Mary, which is still further corroborated by these words of Holy Scripture [Canticles 7:4] "Thy neck is as a tower of ivory." [Note: Canticles 7 is a love poem by Solomon to a woman he was enamored with. In Theology this poem is about Christ's love of the Church and also applies to the Blessed Virgin Mary so that the "Thy" in the quote refers to Mary.]
Height: 10'
Width: 4'
Tower of Ivory
Tower of Ivory outside
Klauber Studio Etching
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