The Nave Windows
Death of the Crucified Lord
Photograph by Bill Blanchard
The last window on this side is a majestic rendering of the Death of the Crucified Lord. Luke has portrayed the latter part of Jesus' teaching ministry as a great pilgrimage to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51-53), which is outlined in the background. The Mother of Jesus and the Beloved Disciple stand in witness to the self-giving of Jesus, after the Lord bound them in a covenant of motherly and filial love (John 19:25-27). Mary Magdalene crouches at the foot of the Cross, absorbing again the sign of divine mercy toward all repentant sinners. An angel is attentively present (see John 1:51).
The city of Jerusalem is in the background, beneath a darkening sky as the moon obscures the sun (Matthew 27:45).
In the quatrefoil above the lancets, the pelican nurturing its young with its own blood (a teaching of the medieval bestiaries, which apply characteristics of animals and birds to the human level) is a symbol of Christ in the Eucharistic Sacrifice, giving himself for the life of the world (John 6:51).
The scroll at the base indicates that the window was "Donated by the Alumni."
The glass in the ventilators, in particular the left ventilator, has been significantly repaired. While the scrollwork was well restored, the replacing of damaged glass in the garb of Mary Magdalene with inferior glass is most unfortunate.