West Window at St Mary's
The November 2003 issue of the Welwyn Magazine contained an article written by Merle Rook describing the West Window of St Mary's Church which is reprinted below. Here is a picture of it to help with following her excellent description
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THE WEST WINDOW
Four stained glass windows on the north wall of St Mary’s have been described in previous articles.* Now let’s look at the west window. Because of its height and the fact that you have to turn your back on the altar to see it, this colourful window is rather neglected. It is at its most splendid when the evening sun glows through the red tunic of the central figure and the jewelled robes of the six angels above.
The blue and white glass at the top shows the outside of a church against a blue sky, the New Jerusalem. Below this are six half angels with gold haloes and blue flames above their heads. Then come the three large figures:
First, Abel in a blue tunic with a green collar worn over a long brown robe. His right hand is raised in greeting. His left holds a shepherd’s crook and a lamb sits at his feet. Behind him, green and brown smoke curls up from red and orange flames where his offering burns on a purple altar. Three white sheep stand in a green field beyond.
Central is Meichisadek, the king of Salem, a highly respected High Priest who blessed Abraham. He wears a Byzantine-style crown, a purple-lined blue cloak over a red tunic embroidered in black with grapes and vine leaves, and a russet cloak. His left hand holds a covered chalice of silver and gold which he touches lightly with his right hand. Behind him is a green field and the pink and gold walls of a city beneath a blue sky.
The third figure is Abraham, with a forked white beard, wearing a long, hooded gold-lined brown cloak over a gold robe. In his left hand he carries a silver, chained censer, yellow light shining through the holes and white smoke curling up from vents in the lid, turning grey and green against the turquoise sky. In his right hand is a sacrificial knife. On the ground by his left shoe is a ram’s head. The thorns and thickets of the Biblical story are depicted in red, purple and green.
The inscription in Latin beneath the figures translates as: Accept, O Lord, our offering, as you accepted the gifts of your righteous servant Abel and the sacrifice of our patriarch Abraham and that offered to you by your high priest Meichisadek.
So, these are the three types of offering. Abel’s was the first accepted sacrifice, Meichisadek’s offering of bread and wine foretells our Eucharist, and Abraham’s offering of his son symbolises God’s offering of Christ.
If you’d like to check the relevant verses in the Bible, they are all in Genesis: Ch.4 v.4, Ch.14 v.18 and Ch.22 v.13.
If you’d like to check my description, very good eyesight or a pair of binoculars will help**. The bold design was supplied by Lowndes and Drury, the glazier being Mary Lowndes. It was installed in 1911 when the nave was lengthened by 21 feet and the old 16th century stonework that frames it was reinstated in the new wall..
Merle Rook
*1) Welwyn Magazine October 2002 - Dr Giles’ window,1954, with St Giles & St Luke.
2) Welwyn Magazine July 2002 - Edward Scott-Gatty, Actor,1932, with St Edward & St Mary.
3) Welwyn Magazine March 2002 - Sir Alfred Scott-Gatty, Garter Principal King of Arms, and his elder son Charles,1919, with St George & St Alban. The family graves are in the cemetery, on the right of the main gate, much overgrown.)
4) The Resurrection window, 1865, in memory of Sir Brooke Boothby, Rector, moved from the chancel in 1911.