Jan 26 2014

The sixth nave window

This window is difficult to photograph as it is partially hidden by the gallery. These photos were taken while kneeling on the floor and pointing the camera almost vertically. That is why the window looks so wide at the bottom and so narrow at the top.

The main detail shows a garment and three dice. The garment is the tunic that Jesus was wearing before he was crucified. The word tunic may not be the best translation of the Greek word chiton which means “a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin”, although the tunic in the window could not be described as long. The tunic and dice refer to the occasion in the gospels when, after Jesus was crucified, the soldiers divided his garments among themselves, except for the tunic for which they cast lots –
“When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, so they said to one another, ‘Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.’ This was to fulfil the Scripture which says, ‘They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.'” [John 19:23,24]

A “lot” is any object that is used to secure a chance decision and may be a stick, a pebble, or almost anything. It may or may not be a die (die is the singular of dice, i.e., we say “One die, two dice”). No one knows what the soldiers used as lots so the three dice are there simply to remind us of the chance way in which Jesus’ tunic was dealt with.

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

ERECTED BY MISS
MARY MOONEY IN

MEMORY OF HER BELOVED
PARENTS & RELATIVES

Jan 26 2014

The North Nave Windows

The north side of the nave is the right side of the church looking at the altar, from the door of the porch as far as the front benches. There are five windows in the north wall of the nave and we have numbered them 6 to 10. Window number 6 is next to the porch door and number 10 is nearest to the altar.

Windows 1 to 5 are in the left side of the church looking at the altar (the south side of the nave) with number 1 next to the altar and number 5 nearest to the porch door. So if you stand in the nave facing the altar and turn to the left through a complete circle, you will see the nave windows in order from 1 to 10. The windows appear in the same order in the menu on the left.

The windows all have the same decorative features but in different colours. Each window has a different main detail in the centre of the window, such as that below left, but they are all connected with Christ’s passion – all except window number 1. At the bottom of each window there is a dedication such as that below right.

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Jan 26 2014

The fifth nave window

This window can be seen properly only from the stairs of the gallery. The cross is the main detail in the window, signifying the horrible death that Jesus suffered. It also symbolises Christ’s victory over death and sin. The cloth draped over the cross is the shroud that Jesus was wrapped in when laid in the tomb. The empty shroud was left behind when Jesus rose from the dead. The cross and shroud together symbolise Jesus’ death and resurrection. Together, they are known as the empty cross or the shrouded cross or the resurrection cross –
“Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. [John 20:6-9]

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

ERECTED BY JOHANNA
O’KEEFFE IN MEMORY OF

HER BELOVED HUSBAND JOSEPH
& HER SON THOMAS O’KEEFFE

Jan 26 2014

The fourth nave window

The main detail in this window shows a chalice or cup – the Latin word calix means cup. The chalice is a symbol for the Eucharist (Holy Communion) but, in this window, it is another symbol for Christ’s passion. Several times Jesus spoke of the cup of his coming suffering –
“Jesus answered, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?'” [Matthew 20:22]
“And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.'” [Matthew 26:39]
“So Jesus said to Peter, ‘Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?'” [John 18:11]

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

ERECTED BY MISS ANNA
HAYES IN MEMORY OF HER

BELOVED PARENTS JAMES
& JOHANNA HAYES

Jan 26 2014

The third nave window

The main detail in the third window shows a hammer and a pair of pincers. They were used for hammering the nails into Jesus’ hands and feet and for removing the nails after he had died. Experts tell us that the nails would have been driven through the bones of the wrists rather than through the flesh of the hands because nails through the hands would not have supported the weight of the body.

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

ERECTED BY GEOFFREY MURPHY IN MEMORY

OF HIS BELOVED PARENTS

Jan 26 2014

The second nave window

In this second window the main detail is of a cloth bearing an image of the face of Jesus. We know this cloth from the sixth Station of the Cross when “Veronica wipes the face of Jesus”. There is no historical evidence for Veronica’s merciful act – it is not mentioned in the four gospels – but devotion to Veronica (the person) and to The Veronica (the cloth and its image) has existed since the middle ages. There are several legends as to who the woman was – Martha of Bethany, or the woman with the issue of blood whom Jesus healed, or a woman called Berenike. Historical or not, we can still contemplate a horrible death and an act of compassion at the sixth station.

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

ERECTED BY MARGARET
MURPHY IN MEMORY OF HER

BELOVED HUSBAND
JOHN MURPHY

Jan 26 2014

The first nave window

The third image shows the main detail of the window – a bulrush. The bulrush plant is sometimes used as a sign for faithfulness and humility. It is also used as a symbol for deliverance and salvation because of Moses who became the deliverer of the Israelites and who, as a baby, was hidden in a bulrush basket –
“When she [Moses’ mother] could hide him [Moses] no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank.” [Exodus 2:3].

However, the name bulrush can refer to several different plants, depending on where you come from. The plant shown in the window and known in Ireland as bulrush is Typha latifolia. This was not the plant of the Moses story which was probably Cyperus papyrus from which the Egyptians made their “paper”, baskets, and many other things.

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

ERECTED BY MISS KATE POWER BENVOY
COTTAGE IN MEMORY OF HER PARENTS
JOHN & CATHERINE POWER AND HER
BROTHER & SISTER JOHN AND ANNA POWER

Jan 26 2014

The South Nave Windows

The south side of the nave is the left side of the church looking at the altar, from the door of the porch as far as the front benches. There are five windows in the south wall of the nave and we have numbered them 1 to 5. Window number 1 is nearest to the altar and number 5 is next to the door of the porch.

Windows 6 to 10 are on the right side of the church looking at the altar (the north side of the nave) with number 6 next to the porch door and number 10 nearest to the altar. So if you stand in the nave facing the altar and turn to the left through a complete circle, you will see the nave windows in order from 1 to 10. The windows appear in the same order in the menu on the left.

Jan 26 2014

The lattice window

We are at a loss to explain why there is a plain lattice window here when there is no matching window in the south transept. Was the original window broken? It brings to mind two lines from “The Spinning Wheel“.”Step up on the stool, through the lattice step lightly
We’ll rove through the grove while the moon’s shining brightly.”Or, if you prefer something biblical but just as romantic …”My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag. Look! There he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the windows, peering through the lattice. [Song of Solomon 2:9]

Jan 26 2014

Saint John The Baptist’s window

John is barefoot and wearing simple clothes but seems to be missing his leather belt –
“Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist …” [Matthew 3:4].

The banner attached to John’s staff reads “ECCE AGNUS DEI !” (“Behold the lamb of God”, in Latin) –
“John was baptising people in the river Jordan when he saw Jesus and cried out, ‘Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!'” [John 1:29].

The scallop shell at John’s left hip is a common symbol for baptism. It was and still is used in many places for pouring water over the head of the baptised person. It’s unlikely that John did this as he practiced total immersion. In his case, the shell is simply a reminder that he was the Baptist or Baptiser.

John has his hand and forefinger raised, ready to give out to the Pharises (and to us?) –
“But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?'” [Matthew 3:7].

The JB monogram at the bottom of the window tells us that this is indeed John the Baptist, in case we hadn’t already guessed from the other clues.

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The sixth nave window