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.

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.

dunhillandfenorparish

Dunhill & Fenor Parish Website

Category The South Nave Windows

The fifth nave window