Stained Glass Windows
The research on the stained glass windows at Christ & Holy Trinity Church in Westport, Connecticut is a collaborative effort of The Reverend Dana Forrest Kennedy and parishioner Susan Wheeler Foot. Reverend Kennedy served as Rector of Christ & Holy Trinity Church from 1961 to 1989 during which time he inspired the gifts of eight stained glass windows. We are grateful for his knowledge, vision, initiative and deep love of the Church.
The beauty and aesthetic value of these windows are evident, but our emphasis is on the art form of stained glass as a compelling medium for portraying important events and religious symbolism in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. These glowing windows bring inspiration, meaning, sacredness, and joy into our lives.
King David, The Musician
Connick Associates, Boston, 1969
Nave, South Wall, Rear Window
"Praise the Lord with harp; Sing unto Him a new song." - Psalm 33
In loving memory of my family Mr. and Mrs. Albert Upson Smith and Louise Smith Dayton, By Alice Smith Williams
This window is dedicated to the important and prominent place of Music in Worship. The donor, Alice Smith Williams, was a soprano soloist at a large Presbyterian Church in New York City for many years. With Mr. Connick's help, David was chosen as the most suitable Biblical character to set forth the theme of music in a strong and dignified manner. In order to contain graphically both the kingly and the musical aspects, it was necessary to combine the adult king and the youthful musician in one portrait.
The artist pictures King David as a young man with a beautiful face and simple garb. He holds his harp on which he plays and on his head is his kingly crown. The harp has come to be the symbol of the Book of Psalms and of all songs and music in honor of God. The harp as an instrument of divine music is referred to in Revelations 5:8, which describes the twenty-four elders who surround the throne of God as "having everyone of them harps."
Around his head emanates a sunburst of energy, the spirit of divine harmonies. Over his head is the star that bears his name, the Star of David. Framing the whole portrait are many bells and horns summoning the faithful to the exultant worship of God in music.
St. Luke
Connick Associates, Boston, MA 1969
Nave, North Wall, Rear Window
To the glory of God and with loving appreciation for the life of Emily Vance Simpson, Oct. 18, 1888-May 7, 1967
"And as ye would that men should do to you do ye also to them likewise."
"Given to the glory of God"
Mr. Connick suggested St. Luke for a window to recognize the scholarly nature of the writer of the gospel attributed to his name. Hence, the pen which he holds in his right hand, and the finished gospel which he cradles in his left arm.
Over his head is the Ox with wings, the common symbol for St. Luke indicating the strength of one who patiently bears the yoke of Christ while sacrificing for the good of others.
The bottom medallion is the story of the Good Samaritan, chose since it is unique to St. Luke for only he tells this parable. The Samaritan bends over helping the injured stranger by the side of the road, while in two of the corners of the medallion the Scribe and the Priests hurriedly pass by on the other side.
Red for the passion of St. Luke's Gospel account predominates in his halo, robe, encircling the Ox with wings and the border of the window. The blues show the calm disciplined strength of the Apostle.
The Resurrection Window
Made in England@1911: Nave, South Wall, Front Window
In Loving Memory of Mary Fitch Page, 1827 - 1905
The window describes scenes from the first two Resurrection experiences. The bottom portion shows the disciples, Peter and "the other disciple" going into Jesus' tomb and finding it empty while Mary Magdalene, who had alerted them to the fact that the stone had been rolled away, remains outside in the background. The halo, or nimbus, over their heads marks their intense spiritual nature. The halo was customarily placed over the heads of saints to denote their sacred and divine personages very much the same way that the title "Saint" is given to special Godly persons.
The top portion shows Mary's meeting with Jesus in the Garden. He speaks her name and at the sound of his familiar voice, Mary recognizes Jesus and says, Rabboni (Teacher). The surprise, wonder, and beauty of the resurrection is caught by the artist as Mary kneels before Jesus.
St. Michael
Connick Associates, Boston, MA 1969
Nave, South Wall, Rear Window
To the glory of God and in loving memory of Dr. Kenneth Mackenzie, Jr. 1853-1943
Rector 1891-1924 and Kenneth G. Mackenzie, son 1887-1967
"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith."
St. Michael, the Archangel, the Captain-General of the hosts of heaven and protector of the Church Militant in Christendom, was chosen by Dr. Mackenzie's family for the theme of a "faithful soldier and servant" of Christ which was characteristic of both Dr. Mackenzie and his son, Granville, who was Clerk of the Vestry for over thirty years. Dr. Mackenzie was strongly mission-minded and socially-concerned, hence the spear and the shield showing the scales of justice which St. Michael holds in his hands. St. Michael wears the whole armor of God.
At the top of the window the cross with the flower behind it reflects the Church's thinking of St. Michael as a protector of the Christian Church.
The Medallion at the bottom of the window depicts the overcoming of evil by good as St. Michael puts Satan under his feet with the power of the flaming sword of righteousness.
St. Paul
Connick Associates, Boston, MA 1960
Nave, South Wall, Middle Window
In Memory of The Reverend Frederic L.C. Lorentzen, 1906-1960
Presented to Christ and Holy Trinity Church March 5, 1961
In affectionate memory of The Reverend Frederic L.C. Lorentzen, Rector 1941-1960
By members of the Congregation, the Sunday Schools and Friends
"To Live In The Hearts We Leave Behind - Is Not To Die"
St. Paul was chosen fo this window as a special way to remember Mr. Lorentzen's love of the passage from Paul's letter which is used in place of a picture in the Medallion at the bottom of the window from I Corinthians 13:1. "Though I speak to you in the tongues of men and angels and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal."
In one hand, St. Paul holds the Sword of the Spirit while in the other hand he points to heaven in a gesture to suggest the teaching and preaching of this Apostle for Christ. The blue and white halo, the blue mantle, and the blue decoration with leaves and flowers in the border again remind us of the royalty of the doctrine of Faith in Christ.
The Rose Window
Altar Window, East Wall; Made in France
In Memory of The Winslow Family
The stained glass window over the altar of Christ & Holy Trinity Church is probably the most familiar of all the windows to its parishioners. Its pleasing composition tells its story quietly, through its vibrant colors and at others through its muted, soft undertones. This window has brought comfort to many parishioners over the years.
One oral tradition says that the glass made in France allowed too much light in for the New England sunshine and the glare was annoying. During one period there was a thin veil covering the whole window to reduce the glare.
The Rose Window is actually more vertical, as the bottom portion was covered in the thirties by a decorated carved wooden reredos given in memory of Mary Pearsall Coley Staples, December 30, 1862 to October 28, 1936. The reredos hides two seals, one of which is the seal of the Winslow family who gifted both the window and the Church edifice. On one seal is written SPES MEA SUPERNE which means My Hope From On High. On the other seal are the words VIACRUCIS VIALUCIS, The Way Of The Cross, The Way Of The Light.
Circular rose windows represent one of man's most profoundly sacred symbols. The circle has been accepted as the symbol of eternity and never-ending existence.
The Rose Window at the peak is divided into twelve sections representing the Twelve Apostles. Each section contains a gold star for each of the Twelve Apostles, reminiscent of the flames of fire that stood over their heads at Pentecost. The small window on the left depicts two intertwined triangles representing The Holy Trinity. The gold triangle symbolizes Heaven and the silver triangle symbolizes Earth. The three circles describe the three persons in one God: The Father, Son and The Holy Ghost. The small window on the right depicting the lamb carrying a flag with a red cross is the Agnus Dei, Lamb of God, with the Banner of Victory, symbol of Christ and His Church Victorious. The lamb is one of the most frequently used symbols in Christian art.
A typical reference is John 1:29, "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin fo the world!"
Below The Rose Window are two small windows. On the left is the symbol of the Alpha and Omega intertwined representing the beginning and the end. On the right are the letters IHS which are the first three letters of Ihsus, or Ihcuc, the name of Jesus in Greek. The S and C are variant forms in the Greek alphabet. The greenery in the four spandrel windows suggests the growth of faith.
The theme of the remaining three windows is from St. Paul, I Corinthians 13:13 "And now abideth faith, hope, love these three: but the greatest of these is love."
The center lancet depicts Jesus as God's Love, the central message of the whole window. Here we see the Ascension of Jesus, surrounded by bright light and adoring cherubim. The dove is the symbol of the Holy Spirit. The purple robe on Jesus represents royalty. The blue mantle symbolizes heavenly love and is also the color of truth. In the Church, blue has also become the traditional color of the Virgin Mary.
The left lancet depicts Faith wearing the blue mantle of theology with her arm upraised pointing toward Jesus the focus of her faith. Her white robe represents Faith's holiness of life and purity. She is holding the cross which is the sign of her Trinitarian faith, the emblem of atonement, and the symbol of salvation and redemption through Christianity.
The right lancet is Hope wearing a crown representing hope in Jesus. The fluke of an anchor is seen just behind her feet symbolizing Hope's steadfastness. The green mantle symbolizes the triumph of life over death and the red robe symbolizes love.
The clouds of heaven, behind the ascending Christ, are filled with cherubim who represent divine wisdom of the whole company of heaven and complete the window's composition.
All know God and worship him.
Our Lady's Window
Connick Associates, Boston, 1969
Nave, North Wall, Rear Window
"For unto us a child is born and his name shall be called Wonderful."
Given by the Woman's Auxiliary to the Glory of God and in loving memory of past members
This Nativity Window was the result of the determination and devotion of Mrs. Virginia Trafton, President of the Woman's Auxiliary. it was she who took the initiative that there would be a window in the Church that reflected the great and largely unheralded work of the generations of women who had given so much of themselves to the Church. These women of the Auxiliary set about raising considerable money and installed the window.
The choice of the Virgin Mary to represent the love and devotion of women for Christ and Church was suggested by Mr. Connick and the Auxiliary women were very happy with the detailed plan that Mr. Connick developed. It is a beautiful composition. They sometimes called it by various names The Bethlehem Window, The Virgin Mary Window, Our Lady's Window since it called forth and satisfied so many facets of their emotion.
The rays from the star of Bethlehem shine down on the Holy Family in Bethlehem. The Christ Child is lying on a manger filled with straw. The Virgin is draped in blue and is the personification of grace and purity. She is shown before the Infant Child in worship and adoration. At her side, at a distance, Joseph stands in blissful worship.
Above, opposite the Star is the Lily symbol of humility and used here with the Virgin Mary to remind us of the humanity of Jesus while below the Greek symbols for Jesus, IHC and Christ, XPC declare his divinity. The ox and the ass in the lower panel complete the scene. The crown foretells the child will become the Christ Victorious.
St. Peter
Connick Associates, Boston, MA 1962
Nave, North Wall, Middle Window
In Memory of Ethel Barre King 1884 - 1961
To the Glory of God In Loving Memory of Ethel Barre King 1962
"And Simon Peter Answered and Said Thou Art The Christ The Son of the Living God."
In this window, St. Peter, the big fisherman and the first of the disciples to recognize Jesus as the Christ, stands holding an oar, tool of his trade, in one hand and the keys to the kingdom of heaven and earth in the other. The silver key represents the power of Christ and his church on earth and the golden key represents heavenly power. His halo is in blue glass to symbolize heaven, heavenly love, and truth. The water at St. Peter's feet recall his attempt to walk on the water to reach Jesus.
The medallion in the lower panel shows the Church as a Ship with the red cross of Christ emblazoned on its billowing sail. The reason the Ship of the Church was chosen to be used in this window was St. Peter's recognition of Jesus as the Christ on which faith the Christian Church would be built. The ship and the sea in the medallion remind us of Jesus' calming the waves and saving the disciples from disaster.
In the top panel is the upside down cross representing St. Peter's wish to be crucified head downward for he did not consider himself worthy to die in the same manner of Christ.
The bunches of grapes in the borders of the windows are used to symbolize the blood of Christ.
