The Five West Facing Stained Glass Windows of Calvary
The five west windows were given in 1937 in memory of five of our women parishioners. They honor five women saints: Saint Ursala, Saint Catherine, Saint Anne, Saint Barbara, and Saint Margaret. Each of these windows portray the signs and symbols — the representation and resemblance — of Christianity and the human soul.
click for a larger version
On the far left is the window of Saint Ursala, or Humility. Saint Ursala was born in Brittany in the 5th century, as daughter of a Christian king. Beautiful and highly intelligent, her demands to marry a Christian prince and to visit the shrines of the Christian saints in Rome were met by her father, only to have three arrows driven through her when she refused to marry the leader of the Huns when she returned.
The window shows the princess with the arrow, which is her attribute. The arrow suggests a spiritual weapon, dedicated to the service of God. She wears a crown, the mark of royalty. The ship being tossed about by stormy waves is a symbol of the church of Christ, reaching its destinction and opposed to persecution, and heresy, and sadism. The open book is a symbol of the Holy Bible, indicating that the Bible is accessible throughout most of the world.
This window was given in memory of Fannie Resor Waite.
click for a larger version
The next window is of Saint Catherine, or Fortitude. Saint Catherine was born in Alexandria in the 3rd century of nobility. She too, was famous for her beauty and learning. In a dream she became the celestial spouse of Christ. She was baptized and dedicated her life to preaching Christianity. At this time Maximin II was in power, a cruel ruler. Catherine was determined to convert him and his philosophers. But he had his followers beheaded and Catherine imprisoned in a dun-. When she refused to marry him he ordered her bound between four wheels, rimmed with spikes, and torn to death. As the sentence was being carried out a huge flame from Heaven destroyed the wheels, and she, Saint Catherine, was beheaded.
The spiked wheel is Saint Catherine’s special and peculiar attribute as shown in the window. The wheel is a rotating force and symbol of divine power. It is also a symbol of martyrdom. Saint Catherine wears a crown to show her royalty and carries a palm for vic-tory. She is holding a book in reference to her great learning. The doves are symbols of the Holy Spirit, of purity and peace. The triangle is one of the most popular symbols of the Holy Trinity. It is usually equilateral.
This window is dedicated to the memory of Anne Hetherington Graydon.
click for a larger version
The middle window is of Saint Anne, or Loyalty. Saint Anne, according to tradition, was the mother of the Virgin Mary. The crown at the top of the window is the mark of royalty and of distinction. It was in the garden—portrayed by the tree of flowers and a redbird feeding three little birds—that Anne was visited by an angel telling her that her prayers to have child would come true. The larger figure, Saint Anne or Anna, is shown presenting the child, Mary, at the age of 3 or 4 at the temple to begin her service to the Lord. She is depicted holding a book teaching her child to read. Below is the Virgin Mary with the Christ child in the stable – a star shinning from above. A halo, or nimbus, is placed above the heads of each of the three figures identifying them as divine or sacred personages. At the bottom of the window is the fleur-de-lis, a variety of lily, the symbol of purity, and the flower of the Virgin.
This window was given in memory of Alice Bernard Bowler.
click for a larger version
The second window from the right is that of Saint Barbara, or Courage. Saint Barbara was born either in Heliopolis, Egypt or in Nicomedia, Asia Minor. Her father, a rich heathen, was afraid some man would marry her and take her away, so he built a high tower with two windows, where she was guarded. She was converted to Christianity, and one day while her father was away she had a third window built into the tower. This, she explained to her father, was so the soul could receive its light through three windows: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Angered at her conversion he severed here head. Immediately he was killed by a bolt of lightning.
The window shows the tower with windows. At the top is the chalice. She is the only female saint who bears this attribute. Bolts of lightning come from a cloud. The peacock feather, also her attribute, refers to Heliopolis, the city of her birth. This is the emblem of this city. She wears a crown, used as the attribute signifying victory over sin and death.
This window is given in memory of Jennie Langdon Burton.
click for a larger version
The window on the far right is that of Saint Margaret, or Innocence. Saint Margaret was from Antioch in the 3rd century. Converted to Christianity she was dedicated to Jesus and refused to marry the governor. She was dragged to a dungeon where a dragon appeared. Before he swallowed her she made the sign of the cross upon her breast. As the cross grew larger it split the dragon in two and Margaret escaped. Because her faith converted many to Christianity the governor had her executed.
At the top of the window is the cross, and the sign of the cross is shown again on her breast. She is also holding a staff surmounted with the cross. The crown circled with a wreath of flowers denoted the saint was of royal blood as the daughter of a pagan priest. The wreath is indicative of heavenly joy and purity. The lamb at the bottom of the window is a symbol of Christianity, one of the most frequently used symbols in Christian art.
This window was given in memory of Elizabeth Evans Ulland.
Each color used in the five windows is symbolic: White is the sign of the Creator, of light, joy, purity, innocence, glory, and perfection. Purple is a symbol of humility, sympathy, and fasting as well as of royalty. Red refers to the blood of the martyrs of the church. Green is the universal color of nature, signifying hope. Gold is symbolic of virtue, worth, the glory of God, and Christian might.
These windows were designed and made by the Burnham Studios of Boston, Massachusetts. The Burnham Studios merged to become Burnham and Laroche Association of Medford in 1990. The Burnham Studios, though not as well known as Tiffany, produced stained glass of equal quality and beauty. One has only to be in the church late in the afternoon with the sun streaming through these west windows to see the magnificence of the colors and the story they tell.
Stained glass was developed in the Mediterranean lands during the Middle Ages. It probably began as a means of keeping buildings usually churches, cool by eliminating any excess light. But even in those days some of the early craftsmen were often men of great artistic talent. There was a slow development of the art of mosaic glass throughout the earlier part of the 13th century. The window of the north transept at York Minister England, later called the “Five Sisters”, has been described as one of the most beautiful examples of stained, glass of medieval times. Our west windows have been compared with this. The art of stained glass passed through various phases down through the centuries until there was a renewal of Gothic architecture in the early 19th century. With it came a more aesthetic appreciation and medieval stained glass was restored.
Sources:
George Ferguson, Signs and Symbols in Christian Art, Oxford University Press, New York, 1959
Ernst Lehner; The Picture Book of Symbols, William Penn Publishing Corporation, New York.
Friedrich Rest, Our Christian Symbols, Education Press, Philadelphia, 1959
Miriam Berger,
Historian/ Librarian
April, 1994