Jan 26 2014

Saint Joseph’s Window

Saint Joseph’s window

The Madonna Lily is often associated with Saint Joseph as well as Our Lady as, for example, in his statue inside the church (see the photo on the right). In the images above, however, the flowers are red and are growing from the top of St. Joseph’s staff or rod. The flowering of the staff is described in an apocryphal writing (The Birth of Mary According to James) in which Mary’s future spouse is chosen. Joseph’s staff bursts into lily flowers as a sign that he is the chosen one. The red flower that gardeners call St. Joseph’s Lily is not a lily at all but is a variety of amaryllis or hippeastrum (Hippeastrum x johnsonii) that was hybridised around 1800 A.D. in England.

In Church tradition, Joseph is much older than Mary, and he looks rather elderly in the window images. He doesn’t look so old in the statue image but, then, Mary was barely into her teens when Jesus was born.

The window image on the right shows the monogram SJ which stands for Saint Joseph.

Jan 26 2014

Our Lady’s window

The first two images show Our Lady carrying a stem of lilies, the symbol of purity. Lilies have long been associated with Mary and are, perhaps, the most common Marian symbol. This particular lily is the Madonna Lily (Lilium Candidum) which is native to the Balkans and West Asia. In summer it produces fragrant white flowers which are yellow at the base. Also associated with Our Lady is the Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis), but that’s a different plant altogether.

In the image on the right is a monogram comprising the intertwined letters A and M which stand for “Ave Maria” (Hail Mary, in Latin). Unfortunately, the very bottom of the window, including the bottom half of the monogram, is partially blurred by protective glazing.

Jan 26 2014

The Sacred Heart Window

The Sacred Heart window

The image on the right is of the bottom of the Sacred Heart window, taken through a gap in the pinnacle of the altar – it’s the only way to photograph it without a ladder! It bears a monogram comprising the intertwined letters I, H, and S. IHS is a type of Christogram – a combination of letters that forms an abbreviation for the name of Jesus Christ and traditionally used as a Christian symbol.

The first three letters of the name Jesus (in Greek) are iota, eta, and sigma These are the 9th, 7th, and 18th letters of the Greek alphabet, respectively. In Greek capital letters they are written as I, H, and Σ. The first two have been adopted as the I and H of the English alphabet. The Σ is equivalent to the English letter S and has the same sound.

In short, then, IHS represents the first three letters of the Greek version of the name Jesus. At least, that’s how it started out. Later, IHS was taken to mean Iesus Hominum Salvator (“Jesus, Saviour of men” in Latin) or “I Have Suffered”.

Jan 26 2014

The West Gable Windows

There are three windows in the west gable. They are difficult to photograph as a group as they are partially hidden by the main altar or by the sanctuary lamp, depending on where you are standing. The three figures in the windows are, from left to right, Our Lady, the Sacred Heart, and Saint Joseph.
The image may be enlarged by clicking on it and each window may be viewed separately using the menu on the left.

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Dunhill & Fenor Parish Website

Category The West Gable Windows

Saint Joseph’s Window