Stained Glass Windows

The window of St. Luke, one of the four evangelists, depicts his symbol of the winged bull from the first chapter of Ezekial and the fourth chapter of the Book of Revelations, which refer to the four beasts of the Apocalypse. Luke's bull symbolizes sacrifice and the Passion Story. Luke's Gospel has the longest story of Christ's passion and crucifixion.

The Annunciation window depicts Mary, dressed in idealized, silk brocade garments, kneeling in front of the Angel Gabriel, who announces to her that she is to be the Mother of the Savior. She wears white, the color of the virgin, and blue, the color of heavenly strength. While she is depicted reading the Psalms, the Book of Jewish prayers, women of her day could not read. Legend tells us Mary was taught to read by her mother Ann. On the side of the prayer desk is a carving of Satan as a snake wrapped around a tree with an apple in its mouth.. Mary is the new Eve who reverses the sin of the original Eve.

On the elegant chair is the monogram M and a crown that looks to the future of Mary the Queen of Heaven. The Holy Spirit descends with a ray of light that is repeated in the halo around Mary's head. The Angel Gabriel holds a staff, a symbol of authority of the servant of God sent to give the message of the birth of the Son of God. His staff is inscribed with the words "Hail Mary, full of grace." His wings are green, the color of eternal life and the Trinity.

The vase prefigures the water turned to wine at Cana and a subtle hint of the water and blood spilled by Christ at His crucifixion. Along the border are jewel-like fruits, representing the fruitfulness of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The lily is a Lily of the Annunciation, but it also is the Easter Lily, prefiguring the Christ of the Incarnation and the Christ of the Resurrection.

St. Cecilia, martyr and virgin, is the Patron Saint of Music, and in her stained glass window in St. Cecilia's Alcove, she is depicted playing a tiny organ. Her undergarment is white, the color of the virgin, red, the color of martyrdom, and blue, the color of strength. Her hair simply is a series of lines because originally the window was seen at a far distance above the organ in St. Vibiana's Cathedral. St. Cecilia is surrounded by cherubs, little boy angels, often used in Renaissance art.

Eleven apostles are shown in The Ascension Window. Ten are shown in full, but only the halo of the eleventh is seen at the left of Jesus' knee. Jesus is leaving the Gospel, but He also is leaving behind the knowledge that the Apostles will become martyrs. He is dressed in rich, red and white robes, symbolizing the sacrifice of love and purity.

Jesus' garment blows in the wind, but neither up nor down, because the Ascension prefigures also the Second Coming. Jesus is leaving, but He will return.

None of the Apostles seems pleased, though one, probably Andrew, is waving. In the lower right corner is the beardless John, dressed in purple and green. The Apostle in the center is probably Andrew, who also often is shown beardless. Tears seem to be forming in his eyes as he knows Jesus is leaving.

The window depicts Jesus' agony in the Garden of Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives. Christ, with outstretched hands, is saying, "Not my will but thine be done," and a sorrowful angel is bringing the chalice of suffering to Him. Above is a crescent moon in a foreboding sky, perhaps even a solar eclipse.

Below are the three disciples, John, Peter and James. Peter has fallen asleep on his sword, the same sword that he will soon use to cut the High Priest's servant's ear. The attitude of John's hand indicates he is asleep, his head collapsed on Peter's thigh. John seems to be dreaming because his big toe is over the next toe. James, with his beard down his chest, seems to have passed out. Could the little bush in the far right corner be a coffee plant? Perhaps if they had been drinking coffee, they would not be asleep.

Jesus, with sad eyes, looks at the angel with resignation.

In an idealized setting, Jesus is leading His sheep into the sheepfold in The Good Shepherd Window. Jesus forms the gate of the sheepfold. In John's Gospel, He refers to Himself as the gate and in another part He says, "I am the sheepfold."

Jesus is depicted with the wounds of His crucifixion. He has returned, shepherd's staff in hand, to guard His sheep, which are happily gathered around Him. In the background is the city of Jerusalem, which is about to fall.

Jesus holds one lamb, the hundredth lamb, He has found. There is rejoicing among the sheep as the lost sheep returns. He gives water to all. Jesus looks at the little lamb He has rescued with loving eyes, reminding that all people are His lambs.

At the end of the central aisle of the Mausoleum is the stunning figure of Christ at sunrise, ridding the sky of darkness, as He rises from His burial tomb. He is holding the banner of Christian triumph, a red cross on a white shield. Christ holds his hand in blessing to the world.

Around Christ are soldiers in total disarray. On the lower left, one is holding his shield. On the upper right, another is reaching for his spear, but being cast back. Two others are hiding their faces, yet another is on his shield, a symbol of defeat.

The wounds of the nails are in Christ's feet, and there are clouds, foreshadowing the Ascension of Christ into Heaven. In the background is an Italian cypress, the symbol of death. However, the symbol of death is being overcome by the gold of the sky.

This window recalls a twelve year old Jesus preaching to the elders in the Temple in Jerusalem. He is dressed in white and gold, the two colors that represent purity. On the bottom of His garment is a grapevine, reminding us of the stories of Israel being the vineyard and stories Jesus told involving grapes and grapevines, and, ultimately, the wine of the Eucharist. His halo has three points, a reference to the Trinity.

The light above represents the Menorah, and the books on the floor remind that Jesus has come to fulfill the law and the prophecies. One of the elders holds a scroll, representing the law. The elders do not seem pleased with what Jesus is saying because they fear He has come to replace the law. The gold curtain is significant artistically because it pushes the figure of Jesus into prominence, but it also is a foreboding of the Temple curtain that will be torn at the time of Christ's crucifixion.

The Presentation window depicts the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Presentation of Christ in the Temple. Forty days after the birth of Christ, Mary complied with the Mosaic law by going to the Temple to be cleansed and to redeem her first-born by introducing Him into the House of God.

Simeon the Just purifies Mary with his prayers and blesses the baby Jesus. He was a blind, holy man who knew that he would not die until he had seen the salvation of Israel. Simeon wears a Damask coat of gold on white, symbols of purity. Jesus blesses His mother, who holds a candle representing the Light of the World that has come into being through her.

In the back and to the left of Mary is Anna the prophetess, who recognized the baby Jesus as the savior of the world. Below on the right is Joseph, dressed in purple, a sign of the House of David. Purple is the color of royalty and of penance. He is on his knees making an offering of two doves, traditionally the blood offering that a poor person would make to the Temple for forgiveness of sin. Mary and Joseph could not afford a lamb for sacrifice. Below Joseph is his pilgrim's staff and his hat, prefiguring the flight into Egypt. A laurel plant, used for crowns of winners, is depicted to the side.

St. John, one of the four Evangelists, is depicted as an eagle because his Gospel is ethereal and soaring. The eagle symbol is taken from the four beasts of the Book of Revelations. The window is similar to the other three Gospel windows, those of Matthew, Mark and Luke.

The window in the Lamb of God Alcove represents Christ, the sacrificial Lamb of God, the perfect and sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the world. The lamb rests on the Book of the Seven Seals from the Book of Revelation. The Book of the Seven Seals is given to the victor. Christ is the only one worthy to open the book. The Lamb is holding a tiny flag on a staff. The flag has a white background and a red cross, the symbol of Christian triumph. A tree formed halo, symbolizing the Trinity, is on the back of the Lamb's head.

The Nativity window is an idealized vision of the birth of Jesus. He is supplying the light to those around Him. Mary's garments are reddish-purple, a combination of red, the color of love and sacrifice, and purple, the color of royalty. The royal mother is holding Jesus, and Joseph is standing in the background, almost passively, indicating the work of the Holy Spirit in the birth. He is dressed in earthy colors, representing that he is the foster father of Jesus.

A shepherd in the background holds the ancient musical instrument, the bagpipe. A girl holding a smiling lamb is standing as if transported, completely in love with the little baby. An older figure with white hair is kneeling, looking with love at the baby. A man in the foreground seems to be a working man. Another figure holds an adze, an instrument for beheading people, but also a builder's tool, suggesting martyrdom as well as constructive work.

A small wicker basket in the right hand corner suggests that, like Moses, Jesus was transported to Egypt. The forbidding castle in the left background represents the authority of Herod waiting to hear news from the returning Magi. The cypress tree in the background is a representation of death, foreshadowing the crucifixion.

This window depicts Peter receiving from Jesus the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven and the kingdom of earth. The silver and the gold keys represent the Scripture, "Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven." Peter is wearing blue, the color of heavenly strength, and yellow, the color of revealed truth, like the sun emerging from behind the clouds. The yellow indicates that Peter understood that Jesus is the Savior and the Messiah, and because of this, Jesus gave him the keys.

Jesus is dressed in a rich, idealized garment, and has a tree-formed halo, denoting the Trinity. The Apostles, John, his brother James, and Peter's brother Andrew, are in back of Jesus and Peter. Two palm trees also are in the background. The palm is the symbol of the martyr, but the palm branch also was given to the conquering general or to people for merit. Jesus is giving Peter a special privilege. However, the palms also remind that martyrdom awaits.

The window depicts Jesus allowing a little child to snuggle up to Him. His garments are idealized, rich in texture, as are the children's clothes, though they were simple, country folk. The little girl at his knee is offering flowers, daisies, the symbol of innocence, and Lily of the Valley, an emblem of Jesus from the Song of Songs.

The mother in the background has older children, but she is leaning forward to the little girl, either pushing her forward, or cautioning her about disturbing Jesus. The hairdo on the girl looks as if she is a nice German country lass, probably the child of one of the Franz Mayer Company artists. On the lower right side, the little boy, dressed in purple and red, looks suspiciously like an altar server. At left of center below, a little girl is gathering flowers for Jesus, symbolizing innocence and love.

In the background is a simple country town, indicating that Jesus is among the folks in the countryside. The apple tree above is without Satan, so this fruit of the tree is wonderful.

Mark, one of the four evangelists, is depicted in this Gospel window as a lion, a reference from the Book of Revelations. As the lion, Mark was ready to guard the Gospel. The lion is showing his teeth, and his claws are ready to attack.

Matthew, one of the four evangelists, is depicted in this Gospel window as the winged man, a reference from the Book of Revelations. The winged man is vested like a priest wearing an alb. This window shows the full signature of Franz Mayer Company in the right hand corner.

The nine lunettes along the central aisle of the Mausoleum are in the Versailles style, with pale colors in the background and a few jewel colors in the borders. Each is shaped as a simple, elongated quatrefoil.

Each window contains a special symbol, for example, a hovering dove representing the Holy Spirit active in the world, a Bishop's Mitre symbolic of Catholic authority, the Immaculate Heart of Mary flaming with love and pierced with a sword of sorrows, and a monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament representing the constant worship of Christ through the host. The Sacred Heart of Jesus lunette depicts a black cross representing His crucifixion and a crown of thorns His suffering. The Eucharist window has a chalice representing the wine and a host with IHS denoting the name of Jesus in Greek and rays of light showing its holiness. The IHS window is the abbreviation of Jesus' name and represents the power of Jesus in Paul's saying, "At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow." The Maria window has the letters M in the center, A on the left, R on the right, and I in the crevice above M, returning to A. It is shown as a sacred name by its medallion setting and surrounding rays of light.