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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. Mary Catholic Church

City: Royal Oak

Window Shape: 3 (arched)

Subject/Title of Window: Gate of Heaven

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 "Gate of Heaven."
This illumination of "Gate of Heaven" consists of a pathway leading up to an open gate and a sun (Christ) radiating light.
The title "Gate of Heaven" comes from Jacob's dream at Bethel found in Genesis 28. Jacob dreamed of a stairway to heaven with angels climbing up and down, and at the top was the Lord. The Lord then reiterated the covenant he had made to Abraham. "And when Jacob awakened out of sleep, he said: Indeed the Lord is in this place, and I knew not. And trembling he said: How terrible [causing me terror] is this place! This is no other but the house of God and the gate of heaven." (Genesis 28:16-17 Douay Rheims)
Mary as the "Gate of Heaven," comes from St. Ambrose and St. Augustine's interpretation of Ezekiel 44:1-3 (Douay Rheims) --- "And he brought me back to the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary, which looked towards the east: and it was shut. And the Lord said to me: This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall pass through it because the Lord God of Israel, hath entered it, and it shall be shut." Their interpretation was this gate was a type for the Virgin Mary --- Mary was the gate through which Jesus entered the world and then the gate was shut, Mary remained a virgin. 

Height: 10'

Width: 4'

Gate of Heaven
Gate of Heaven
Gate of Heaven outside
Gate of Heaven outside

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