As the the new window, designed by Helen Whittaker, is installed Canon Mark Soady reflects:
Stained glass windows came in to being in Medieval times as a means of educating the largely illiterate public about the Good News of the Bible through visual images.
Helen’s window does an amazing job in encapsulating the various themes and messages that run through the Bible. It will be a great aid to teaching and a wonderful compliment to the Jesse artefact itself.
The starting point for Helen’s design is the ‘centrality of Christ as God and man’. The dual aspects of Christ are explored through images and relationships connected with the five principal themes: Christ, Kingship, Prophecy, the Church and the Sacrament.
At the top of the tree sits the Virgin Mary with the Christ child on her knee. They are shown to a larger scale then other figures in the window, recognising their great importance. Called by God to fulfil a unique and vital role, Mary becomes, by her willing acceptance, a model and guide to Christians. She is the vehicle of incarnation – and thus an essential participant in the life, death and glorious resurrection of Jesus; a connection between His earthly life and His divinity.
Beneath the Virgin sits King Solomon and below him his father David, the son of Jesse. Both Solomon and David were leaders of God’s chosen people and both point to Christ’s Kingship, yet both struggled (and at critical moments failed) to balance obedience to God’s will with the exercising of temporal power. Solomon also offers an example of Wisdom which continues with Christ. To the left of King David is his wife Bathsheba. To his right is Ruth, his great grandmother – a humble, obedient convert, she represents all outsiders who are welcomed int o the wide and loving arms of the church.
Zadok the Priest and Nathan the Prophet flank Solomon. Zadok, ‘the teacher of righteousness’ reprints the continuity of priesthood and ministry, while Nathan the prophet challenged earthly power by reprimanding King David.
The figures on the extreme left and right are Adam and Abraham, representing the different but reconcilable versions of Christ’s lineage. Matthew writing for the Jews emphasises Christ’s coming as a fulfilment of the prophecy to Abraham. Luke, writing for the Gentiles, stresses His descent from Adam – His incarnation and pre-figuring His role as the second Adam.
Above Adam and Abraham stand the prophets Isaiah and Daniel. Isaiah foretold the coming of a ‘suffering servant’ and Daniel refused to obey the commands of an earthly power and maintained faith in God.
At the top of the outer lights stand Moses and Elijah. Moses went to a mountain and received the Commandmennts from God setting out the basic law of faith. In His Sermon on the Mount Christ offers a fundamental statement of human discipleship, which will lead us to a new spiritual freedom. Elijah, who bravely challenged all false gods, appeared with Moses at Christ’s transfiguration.
In the centre of the window, surrounding the Virgin and Child, are roundels containing images representing the lives of seven significant Celtic saints, demonstrating the life of the Church in the world and grounding us firmly in our Welsh setting. They symbolise the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. To the left from bottom to top are Gildas (author, teacher and preacher: The Gift of Knowledge); Beuno (healer and preacher: Gift of Understanding); and Winifred (Beuno’s niece and a virgin martyr: Gift of Piety) To the right from the bottom to top are Padarn (peacemaker, pilgrim and man of forgiveness: Gift of Counsel); Non (known as the ‘Celtic sister of Bathsheba’, mother of St David – a humble parallel to the Blessed Virgin Mary: Gift of Fear of the Lord); and Teilo (founder of many monasteries and husbandman, renowned for his wisdom: The Gift of Wisdom). The Patron Saint of Wales, St David: The Gift of Fortitude is in the lower central traceries and caps the circle.
Garlanding these saintly images are fruits representing the nine attributes of the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5.22): love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
The window traceries are filled with images connected to the Advent Jesse; a symbolic narrative drawn from scripture, connecting the Old Testament to the coming of Christ.
The branches of the tree are detailed as vine branches to remind us of the centrality of the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist to our faith. On one of the branches in the bottom right is a sparrow. This is a subtle acknowledgement of Fr Jeremy Winston in whose memory the window is erected – one of his favourite poems, A Sparrow’s Flight by Lord Hailsham, was read at his funeral service.
Wonderfully explained,vicar! Thank you! What’s the next project, a pipe organ,perhaps? Gwilym Bevan Sent from my iPad
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There are a number of things still to do in the Lewis Chapel. We have a planning/DAC application in to lower the external ground level on the North side of the Chapel in order to try and prevent water ingress causing damage.
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Born in Abergavenny and now in US for seventy years. My birthday June 17th 1922 and so now I cannot visit or travel to see this wonderful window. I can still enjoy the memories and the wonderful sounds of St. Mary’s Church bells ringing on Sunday mornings.
I really did visit again today just going through all the pictures and prose. Thank you so much. Peggy Bradbury.
Best wishes from all of us at St Mary’s Priory
Reblogged this on Stained Glass from Welsh Churches and commented:
The new window by Helen Whittaker for Abergavenny is described, with some justification, as ‘one of the greatest new works of church art in Wales since the Second World War’ on the Church in Wales website.
A crowned figure at York Minster dating to the mid-twelfth century is sometimes described as the earliest surviving painted panel of window glass in Britain, and probably came from a Jesse window. Other important medieval survivals include the later Jesse windows at York and Wells, as well as the most complete medieval window in Wales, at Llanrhaeadr-yng-Nghinmeirch, dating from 1533. But the subject is still returned to. The big east window of the Lady Chapel at Llandaff Cathedral also features the Tree of Jesse, and since it was made by Geoffrey Webb in 1951, it might also claim to be one of the most important commissions for church art in Wales. But in truth, there are plenty of others to choose from, such as Jacob Epstein’s Majestas in Llandaff, and other outstanding windows on the same scale or of the highest quality, but they are just not so well known.
[…] be dedicated by the Bishop of Monmouth, in the presence 0f HRH The Prince of Wales on July 7th. The Window is designed by Helen […]
[…] Patron HRH The Prince of Wales was in attendance when the Bishop of Monmouth Dedicated the new Jesse Window in Memory of Dean Jeremy Winston on July […]