Featured Window

Our Lady of Grace, Dearborn Heights, Michigan

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MSGC : Collections : Window

Window

Building Name: First Presbyterian Church

Studio Name: Connick (Charles J.), Ltd.

City: Pontiac

Window Shape: 6 (gothic arched, more than 2 vertical sections)

Date of Window: 1957

Subject/Title of Window: Flowers

Brief Description of Subject: As viewed from the outside, the space for this aisle window extends quite a bit lower. For viewers inside the Church, a balcony obscures vision of the middle part. This window makes up the upper section and is called "Flowers.". The lower portion of this space is the window titled "Parable of Good Samaritan."

The donors of this window stipulated that the window was to have the symbols of the lily, the rose, and the Glastonbury Thorn. The left lancet contains a white lily, the center lancet contains a red rose and the right lancet contains the blossom of the Glastonbury Thorn tree.

The symbols meaning:
White Lily --- The white lily is most commonly associated with chastity and purity. It is the flower of the Annunciation as well as the Resurrection (Easter Lily).
Red Rose --- The red rose is a symbol of Divine love as well as Christ's blood.
Blossom of the Glastonbury Thorn --- This is the flower of a legend associated with Joseph of Arimathia, who was the uncle of the Virgin Mary, and the one who prepared the tomb for the body of Jesus after the Resurrection. He is said to have travelled to England with the Holy Grail. The boat sailed over flooded ground and came to rest on Glastonbury Tor. He put his staff into the ground and up sprouted the Glastonbury Thorn tree. An Abbey was built on this site and it is said that King Arthur and Guinevere are buried on the grounds of the abbey.

According to the maker of this window, "The colorful foliated field provides a rich pattern in support of this theme, with symbols of the white lily of purity in smaller medallions above and below."

Inscriptions: In Memory of Adeline Mowbray MacDonald
Given by her parents Mr. and Mrs. Frank W. Mowbray


Height: 10'

Width: 6'10"

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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.

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