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Our Lady of Grace, Dearborn Heights, Michigan

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MSGC : Collections : Window

Window

Building Name: St. Florian Catholic Church

Studio Name: Schmitt (Conrad) Studios

City: Hamtramck

Window Shape: 3 (arched)

Subject/Title of Window: Assumption/Anointing of Jesus

Brief Description of Subject: Window description: Top lens contains a shield with a fleur-de-lis with nails stuck into it -- Symbolizing Mary's sorrow. In the nearby lens's in the border on the right is a calendula -- early Christians called this plant Mary's gold which over time became "Marigold". In the left border is what appears to me as leaves of laurel however the flower looks more like a rose. The next lens down contains the artist's rendition of the "Assumption". Mary is seen decked out in royal purple and heavenly blue. She is surrounded by 3 angels with stylized wings. Next lens down is the Saint Bernadette of Lourdes with her attributes  -- dressed as a Carmelite nun with a white beaded rosary. She experience many apparitions of the Virgin Mary on her first apparition she saw Mary with a rosary of white beads. Next lens down is the Anointing of Jesus. Martha is seen at the very top carrying a food tray. Mary Magdalene is seen washing the feet of Jesus with her hair with a perfume bottle next to her. Judas is seen objected to this and Christ is seen fending him off with his right hand. Hexagon at the bottom has what looks like a lamp stand with 7 candles (stylized menorah) -- in the Old Testament this signified God's light. This is surrounded by 5 roses -- the stigmata (5 wounds of Christ). The lens to left in the border is a perfume bottle and lens in the border on the right is a money bag -- both allude to the John's version of the  "Anointing of Jesus".

Background:  The Assumption of Mary into heaven is the 4th of the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary. The Assumption is not recorded in Scriptures so that artists are totally left to their own imagination on how the represent this event. The "Anointing of Jesus"  as covered in John 12: 1-9. paraphrasing - Jesus came to the house of Lazarus where Martha was serving a meal. Mary Magdalene poured spikenard, a very expensive ointment, on Jesus's feet and washed them with her hair. Judas Iscariot objected saying "wouldn't it have better to sell the ointment and give it to the poor?" He said this as he was a thief and would have stolen the money. Jesus told him to leave her alone as the ointment was meant for his burial and then said "the poor you will always have with you but you will not always have me."

Inscriptions: S(anc)TA BERNADETTAE A LOURDES
St. Bernadette of Lourdes


Height: 24'

Width: 4'

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