Our Stained Glass

Stained Glass in the Narthex: the Venite

From The History of the American Pro-Cathedral, Church of the Holy Trinity, Paris (1815-1980) by Cameron Allen (2012), p. 424.

Stained glass in the Narthex.

The five windows that illustrate the Venite [in the narthex] are as follows: the text of the first verse of the Venite is set out in the first of the series, “O come, let us sing unto the Lord; let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation.” Reference is made to Exodus XV, which recounts Israel’s crossing of the Red Sea, and the window is completed by the text: “Venite, exultemus Domino,” as indeed are the remaining four windows in the series. The second window, referring to Exodus XVI-XVII (concerned with the provision of manna and water in the Wilderness), contains the fourth versicle of the Venite: “In His hand are all the corners of the earth: and the strength of the hills is His also.” The third window, labelled “St. Mark IV,” is illustrated by the event of that chapter, Christ with four apostles in the fishing boat, calming the waters; and the versicle five of the Venite: “The sea is His, and He made it; and His hands prepared the dry land.” The fourth window, [referring to] Numbers XXVI-XXVII, is illustrated by a young man being blessed, representative of the Twelve Tribes of Israel; and completed by the seventh versicle of the Venite: “For He is the Lord our God: and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.” The final window, Revelations XVII, portrays Christ in Judgment above two angels, with the text of the ninth versicle of the Venite: “For He cometh to judge the earth: and with righteousness to judge the world.”

Stained Glass in the Nave: Te Deum

From The History of the American Pro-Cathedral, Church of the Holy Trinity, Paris (1815-1980) by Cameron Allen (2012), p. 334-340.

The great [east window, in the back of the nave]… is thirty feet high and eighteen feet wide. It was completed in November 1887. It is dominated, in its central light, by the seated figure of Our Lord, holding an orb surmounted by a cross, a representation of God’s power in all the earth. Above this figure, in small lettering, is the opening vesicle of the Te Deum, “We praise thee O God,” with the second half of the vesicle lettered around the head of Our Lord: “We acknowledge Thee to be the Lord.” On either side of this figure are a human series of figures representing the four corners of the globe. In the upper left three lights are figures of kings and bishops illustrating peoples of Europe; the lower left three lights contain Africans... The upper three lights show Asians… the lower right three lights include Americans, North and South... Separating the upper and lower figures is the lettered vesicle of the Te Deum: “All the earth doth worship Thee, the Father everlasting,” repeated at the base of the window. Toward the top of the window, immediately above the central light, is the third vesicle: “To Thee all Angels cry aloud;” continued in the rondel above, “the Heavens, and all the Powers therein,” with four angels and representations of the four elements. In the left and right trefoil are the signs of the Zodiac, in order: In the left trefoil are the signs of Aquarius and Pisces: Aries and Taurus; Gemini and Cancer. In the right trefoil are Leo and Virgo; Libra and Scorpio; Sagittarius and Capricorn. The signs of the Zodiac were used back in Medieval times in church art (perhaps most notably in the Amiens Cathedral), and in this window, as in medieval times, are an indication that to Our Lord belong all times and seasons, as the first three vesicles declare.

The Seraphim with red wings.

Moving from the [east window] toward the [south aisle], the next window is also to [the east]. This window was completed by about Christmas of 1889... It represents the fourth vesicle of the Te Deum: “To Thee Cherubim and Seraphim continually do cry;” and illustrates the nine choirs of angelic beings in three orders. The first order (the upper row) contains, on the left, Seraphim (with red wings, standing on a flaming heart); on the right the Cherubim (with blue wings, standing on a flaming wheel); in the center, Thrones, those whose duty it is to support the Throne of God. The Seraphim and the Cherubim stand always before God, praising and adoring Him; in consequence, they hold scrolls with the fifth vesicle displayed: “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord. God of Sabbath.” In the center row are the second order, all with white wings; on the left, Dominions, with sword, crown, and seal of God; in the center, Virtues, bearing the Crown of Thorns and the Cup of Consolation, emblematic of the suffering of Our Savior; and the Blessed Sacrament, through which we are brought into special nearness to the Throne of God; on the right, Powers, carrying a flaming sword and a thunderbolt. Here to be found also are the sun, moon, and stars, the Powers being traditionally regarded as the Governors or Regents of the stars. In the lowest row are the third order: On the left, Princedoms, in complete armor, and holding a lily; on the right, Angels, bearing a wand; in the center, Archangels, carrying a sword and the banner of the cross. This last angel is represented as stepping on the earth (indicated by trees and flowers) and is offering to mankind the sword of the spirit.

Moving to the first single-light window on the [south] aisle, and to the adjacent double-light window, these taken together illustrate vesicle six, “Heaven and earth are full of the majesty of Thy glory.” These were placed in the church in February 1886, before the church was put to use... In each of these three lights are two angels, the six angels each bearing a medallion. Upon each medallion is depicted the event of one day in the six days of the creation of the world. In the single-light window, the left medallion illustrates the darkness of chaos “without form and void;” the right medallion, the dividing of the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. In the double-light window, the next medallion illustrates the gathering together of the waters and the appearing of the dry land, clothed with grass and herbs and trees; the fourth, the creation of the lights, the sun and the moon and stars, “the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night;” the fifth, the creation of moving creatures on sea and land, the fish and the fowl; the sixth, the creation of man. In addition to setting forth the sixth vesicle of the Te Deum, the windows set out the extraneous text: “The sea is His and He/made it and His hand/prepared the dry land” (the fifth verse of the Venite).

Detail of a window. Can you tell which one it is?

The next double-light window on the [south] aisle… repeats the seventh vesicle of Te Deum: “The glorious company of the Apostles praise Thee.” In the left light are Saint James (with his shell), Saint Peter (with his keys), and two other Apostles. Immediately below these figures is a quatrefoil within a rondel, with an illustration of Saint Peter’s martyrdom in Rome, being crucified upside down. In the right light are shown two Apostles as well as Saint John (with a cup), and Saint Andrew (with his X-cross). Immediately below these figures is another quatrefoil within a rondel, showing Saint John taking Saint Mary into his own home.

The next window… [has] the eighth vesicle set out: “The goodly fellowship of the Prophets praise Thee.” In the left light are eight figures, including the clearly discernable Daniel, Isaiah (in red), bearing the inscription “For the ox knoweth…” (see Isaiah 1:3: “The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib, but Israel does not know, my people doth not consider.”)  In the trefoil below the eight figures are illustrated ox and ass. In the right light are nine figures, dominated by Saint John the Baptist in green, carrying his cross-staff and a banner proclaiming “Ecce Agnus Dei.” Below in trefoil Saint John the Baptist is shown preaching repentance.

The final window on the [south] aisle proclaims the ninth vesicle: “The noble army of Martyrs praise Thee.” In the left light are six figures of whom most prominent is Saint Stephen Protomartyr in dalmatic and holding the stones of his martyrdom. Below these figures in a quatrefoil in a rondel is shown Saint Stephen being stoned. In the right light are seven figures, all of whom appear to represent English martyrs: upper row, a King (Saint Edward the Martyr), a Bishop (Thomas A. Beckett), a woman, and another. In the front row, Saint Alban the Martyr (in red), Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, and another reformer, either Latimer or Ridley. In the quatrefoil-within-rondel below, two martyrs are shown being burned at the stake, presumably Later and Ridley who thus perished together, rather than the solo Cranmer.

The window at the [west] end of the [south] aisle, which is seldom seen since ordinarily not lighted from behind… sets forth the tenth vesicle: “The Holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge Thee.” In the rondel at the apex of this window are represented the “Seven Churches” of Asia: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea (Revelation I:11). In the three lights below ae represented the “Doctors of the Western Church.” Above are shown nine faces of the “Doctors of the Eastern Church,” to wit, Saint Athanasius, Saint Basil the Great, Saint Gregory Nazianzen, Saint John Chrysostom, Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, Saint John Damascene, and Ephrem the Syrian Deacon, but not necessarily in that order. In the foreground are shown the full figures of seven Doctors of the Western Church: Saint Ambrose, Saint Augustine, Saint Jerome, Saint Gregory the Great, Saint Anselm, Saint Bonaventure, and Saint Thomas Aquinas, again, not necessarily in that order. Saint Thomas Aquinas is clearly identifiable from his representation holding a book with the visible inscription “Thee Have” for his dying apology, “Thee have I preached, Thee have I taught.”

Next in the peregrination come two short windows very high up on the [south] side of the chancel: representing the eleventh vesicle, “The Father, of an infinite Majesty,” is a depiction of the “Ancient of Days,” as described in the vision of Isaiah, holding a book open to the inscription “Alpha Omega” (“the beginning and the end”) (right light), while angels bend low before Him (left light). The twelfth vesicle, “Thine adorable, true, and only Son,” is illustrated by the Transfiguration: left light, John, James, Peter, the witnesses of the event, overshadowed by a cloud; right light, the Christ, in robes and glistening white, between Moses, representing the Law, and Elijah, representing the Prophets; in the rondel, “This is my beloved Son.”

The thirteenth vesicle, “Also the Holy Ghost, the Comforter,” is the subject of… the only long window located to the [south] side of the altar in the chancel. Above in a cinquefoil is a dove, symbolizing the Holy Spirit. In the double lights toward the top is a representation of the Pentecost, the Gift of Tongues to the twelve Apostles, all depicted, the birth of the church (Acts 2:1-4). Beneath this are four vignettes representing manifestations of the Holy Spirit: center, left light, the Descent of the Spirit at the baptism of Our Lord in Jordan by Saint John the Baptist, with the scriptural quotation, “And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him” (Luke 3:22). Center, right light: Our Lord represented on Maundy Thursday in Gethsemane, attired in red, lifting his hand and surrounded by eight Apostles, with this text set out: “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away” (John 16:7). Omitted from the text in the window is the promise of the Holy Spirit: “For if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you.” Lower, left light: at Our Lord’s first appearance to the Holy Apostles, the evening of the first Easter day, He is shown again in red, surrounded by nine Apostles, with the text appended: ”He breathed upon them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost” (John 20:22). Lower, right light: the Holy Spirit as the Inspiration of the scriptures, including the text set out from 2 Peter 1:21: “Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

"The four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment, and they had on their heads crowns of gold” (Revelation 4:4).

The great triple lancet [west] window over the high altar illustrates the fourteenth vesicle of the Te Deum: “Thou art the King of Glory, O Christ.” The center lancet portrays Christ in Majesty, seated upon the “throne set in heaven.” In the left and right lancets are represented “the four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment, and they had on their heads crowns of gold” (Revelation, 4:4). Between the six groupings of the elders with their harps are set out the “Holy, Holy, Holy” acknowledgment of the four beasts…

The two small [trefoil] windows [north] of the chancel… represent the fifteenth vesicle, “Thou are the everlasting Son of the Father!” In one is shown Christ crucified, the other three angels.

Behind the organ console on the [north] side of the church is a window representing the sixteenth vesicle: “When Thou tookest upon Thee to deliver man, Thou didst humble Thyself to be born of a Virgin.” …The vesicle is illustrated by a window portraying the Incarnation. In the upper portion of both lights are the figures of the heavenly host; in the lower portion of the left-hand light stand the shepherds; in the lower portion of the right-hand light are shown Saint Joseph and the Virgin Mary cradling the Christ Child, while and angel and a lamb look on.

Along the [north] aisle the first window… sets forth the seventeenth vesicle: “When Thou hadst overcome the darkenss of death, Thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers,” as well as an extraneous text, “He is not here: for He is risen” (Matthew, 28:6). This Resurrection window has soldiers on the left light, while in the right are shown the risen Christ with a banner, an angel looking on. The eighteenth vesicle, “Thou sittest at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father,” provides the text for the Ascension window. The left light shows eight Apostles kneeling. A supplemental text is provided: “(He) shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts, 1:1). …

The next two windows are concerned with the nineteenth vesicle: “We believe that Thou shalt come to be our Judge.” The window closer to the altar portrays, left light, ten figures, while in the right are shown Christ as Judge, with three figures and an angel. These figures have withstood the test of the Last Judgement, as indicated by the supplementary text, “Come ye blessed of my Father.” The related window presents, left light, an angel with three figures lapped by the flames of hell, while in the right, five other figures undergo the same fate with the explanatory text, “Depart from Me, ye cursed.” …

The twentieth vesicle, “We therefore pray Thee, help Thy servants, whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious blood,” provides the text for the window of the Crucifixion. The left light contains Christ on the Cross, the Virgin Mary, Saint John, and Saint Mary Magdalen, while in the right, Roman soldiers are casting dice for His garments. Supplementary texts are two: left, “They pierced my hands and my feet;” right, “They parted my garments among them.” …

An angel in stained glass. Where in the nave do you think this one lives?

The final window along the [north] aisle takes as its subject the twenty-first vesicle, “Make them to be numbered with Thy saints in glory everlasting.” The left light has Christ holding a child, while in the right, angels are holding the children. The supplementary text set out is “Suffer the little children to come unto Me, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.”

The window above the [northeast] door… proclaims vesicle twenty-two: “O Lord, save Thy people, and bless Thine heritage.” Shown are the twelve sons of Jacob, the twelve tribes of Israel, (Genesis, 49:3-27): Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Nephtali, Joseph, and Benjamin. Each is identified by his name shown within the nimbus surrounding his head. Joseph is represented by his son Manasseh (Deuteronomy, 33:17; Genesis, 50:23). A supplementary text is set out: “Hurt not the earth neither the sea nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.”

Our perambulation of the nave windows ends at this point; to complete the Te Deum, it is necessary to shift the eyes upward to the clerestory windows, to be viewed in a similar clockwise fashion from the rear of the church. The six double-light windows on the [south] clerestory all illustrate the twenty-third vesicle, “Govern them, and lift them up forever,” which text is repeated in each of the six windows, as is the “Alleluia” in each of the six trefoils. The third double-light window from the rear of the church appears to be concerned with the Visitation: the fifth window’s subject matter must be the Holy Innocents and the Epiphany (the three magi).

The windows of the [north] clerestory, on the other hand, each concentrate on the final six versicles of the Te Deum: (24) “Day by day we magnify Thee”: (25) “And we worship Thy Name ever, world without end;” (26) ”Vouchsafe, O Lord , to keep this day without sin”; (27) “O Lord, have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us”; (an avenging angel, a protecting angel); (28) “O Lord, let Thy mercy be upon us, as our trust is in Thee”; (29)”O Lord, in thee have I trusted: let me never be confounded.” …