Monthly Archives: January 2014

Jan 26 2014

Fenor Church Windows

The Stained-Glass Windows of Immaculate Conception Church, Fenor

Did you ever stop and look at the stained-glass windows in the church? Possibly not. It’s not something that we do unless we are particularly interested in stained glass, and many of us aren’t. Anyway, it’s not easy to get a good, close look at them. A pair of binoculars is useful but the arms get tired very quickly. A camera is the thing! Modern cameras are equipped with lots of pixels which means that they can capture lots of detail. When viewed on the screen of a television or a computer the images may be enlarged by “zooming in”. It is only then that the amazing colours and fine detail of the windows can be fully appreciated. Not even by perching on the window ledges can you see the windows as well as you can here.

We will begin with the main window in the east gable, above the altar, and then turn left through the north transept, the north wall of the nave, the south wall of the nave, the south transept and, finally, the west gable window above the main door. This is the order adopted in the menu opposite,

Before you set off to view the windows of Fenor church, you might like to look at the window below. It is a detail from a window in St. Carthage’s cathedral in Lismore, Co. Waterford, and shows three women at Jesus’ tomb after the resurrection. According to Luke’s gospel they were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James. Click the image to zoom in.

Women at the tomb

Women at the tomb

Jan 26 2014

Window Restoration Dunhill

Window Restoration in Sacred Heart Church, Dunhill

The stained-glass windows in Sacred Heart church are in need of repair and restoration. Two windows were completed in September, 2011 – those of St. Michael the Archangel and St. John the Baptist, both in the south transept.

The windows were restored by Irish Stained Glass, and Colette Langan supplied us with photographs of the windows in their various stages of repair. The photos of these two windows, before and after restoration, may be viewed by choosing from the menu at top left.

Under the “South Transept Windows” menu selection you can see these windows as they are now in the church – completely restored.

Jan 26 2014

The Agnus Dei Window

The Agnus Dei Window

Agnus Dei window Agnus Dei window, Detail
Of the three east gable windows, this is the window on the right. The main detail shows a lamb holding a staff surmounted by a cross and a banner. The banner itself also bears a cross. In this image the lamb symbolically carries the cross and banner as it merely touches the staff with its right front hoof. In religious art such an image is known as an Agnus Dei (Lamb of God, in Latin). Sheep and lambs have been sacrificial animals for thousands of years. In Judaism a lamb, known as the Paschal Lamb, was sacrificed on the eve of the Passover to commemorate the night when God took the lives of the first born sons of the Egyptians and spared or passed over the first born sons of the Israelite slaves. The commemorative Passover sacrifice took place in the court of the Temple at Jerusalem and was usually a ram lamb, one year old and without flaw.

Jan 26 2014

The Pelican Window

The Pelican Window

The Pelican Window The Pelican Window, Detail
Of the three east gable windows, this is the window on the left. The main detail shows a pelican in its nest with four chicks. The pelican is vulning – pecking at its breast to draw blood with which to feed its young, and three drops of red blood are visible at the tip of its beak (you may have to enlarge the image to see them). The “Pelican in its Piety” is a symbol of Christ’s passion.

Jan 26 2014

The East Gable Window

The East Gable Window

West gable window
This is another difficult window to photograph as it is partially hidden by the gallery and the ceiling. The complete window may be viewed from the gallery itself but, there, the window is very close to the camera and a wide-angle lens is necessary to photograph the whole window or even just the tall central window. A trickier solution is to straddle the balcony of the gallery and lean out into space while holding the camera at arms length – without falling down into the aisle or dropping the camera. Some of the photos were taken in that way.

There are three windows in the east gable: the Pelican window on the left, the Sacred Heart window in the middle, and the Agnus Dei window on the right.

A dedication is written across the bottom of the three windows but this is impossible to see in any single image of the three windows and is difficult to see even in separate images as it is obscured by internal protective glazing. The dedication is shown below in the three photos.

Left Window detail Centre Window detail Right Window detail
ERECTED BY HER DEEPLY AFFLICTED
HUSBAND GEORGE K. POWER ESQRE TO THE
MEMORY OF HIS DEARLY BELOVED WIFE ELLEN MARY WHO DEPARTED
THIS LIFE ON THE 20 DECEMBER 1880
MAY HER SOUL REST IN PEACE AMEN
Jan 26 2014

Our Lady & baby Jesus window

Our Lady and baby Jesus window

Mary and Child window Mary and Child window, Detail 1 Mary and Child window, Detail 2 Mary and Child window, Detail 3 Mary and Child window, Detail 4

The facial details in these photos are also worn away. In addition, there is quite a lot of dirt on the window, especially on our Lady’s face. In her left hand she is holding a flower stem with a single lily flower, white with yellow anthers.

There is a brass plate beneath the window which entreats us to –

Pray for the Rev M. Walsh P.P.
& the Rev J. Joy P.P.
Jan 26 2014

Saint Patrick’s window

Saint Patrick’s window

St. Patrick appears to be holding a strange-looking plant in his right hand. It has rudimentary green leaves and three flowers at the top, white with yellow stamens, best seen in the third photo – it is definitely not a shamrock! Perhaps it is reminiscent of how his staff took root on one occasion. He is carrying a bag of some sort in his left hand – perhaps it contains St. Patrick’s bell. On his chest, Patrick wears the Breastpiece (or Breastplate) of Judgement. It has four rows of three holes representing the twelve tribes of Israel and was first worn by Aaron, the high priest, when he entered the Holy Place in the Temple. [Exodus 28:15].
As with the Red Saint’s window, much of the detail of face and hands has worn away.

There is a brass plate beneath the window which entreats us to –

Pray for J. Kearsey Ballymote
Jan 26 2014

The IHS window

The IHS window

IHS window IHS window, Detail 1 IHS window, Detail 2 IHS window, Detail 3

The letters IHS represent the first three letters of the Greek version of the name Jesus. The explanation is given in the description of the Sacred Heart window.

The dedication at the bottom of the window is shown in the image at far right and reads,

ERECTED BY MRS. THOMAS
WALSHE IN MEMORY
OF HER BROTHER REVD
NICHOLAS FORAN C.C.