The Renovation of Great West Window

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1 The Renovation of Great West Window by Joe Dzeda December 2005 Mr. Joseph Dzeda, a parishioner, wrote the following in December His photographs illustrate the details of the window that we usually cannot quite discern but that his adventure on the scaffolding allows us to approach unusually closely. We now see that the window illustrates Christ's life, as well as the creation and other stories from the Bible. (There are also some dizzying photographs of the church from a vantage point most of us will never experience. Joe, we're glad you managed to descend safely! Trinity Church-on-the-Green's west window has served as the backdrop for worship services since 1885, when the chancel was constructed. Its imposing proportions dominate the front of the church, and in the five lancets are a series of roundels that depict events in the life of Jesus Christ, stories from the Old Testament, and carry the insignia for the four authors of the New Testament's Gospels. And in the lower part of the center lancet is a mysterious plain blue roundel that has a story behind it. More of that later! Having witnessed almost 44,000 sunsets since it was installed, the chancel window was showing signs of advanced age and the ill effects of weather, air-borne city dirt, the deterioration of its lead structure, and the relentless forces of gravity. As it passed the century milestone, the old window began to fail. Some of its hundreds of intricate pieces began to crack, allowing light and wind to enter the chancel. Clergy and choirs were aware of chilly drafts in the winter, and the altar guild became adept at removing candle wax that had dribbled and splattered onto the altar linen. Clearly it was time to address the window's condition, and several of Trinity's members responded by creating an annual Holiday Bazaar, with an eye to restoring this great window and its several smaller siblings by Tiffany, Willet, and D'Ascenzo, among others. In the early Fall, the old chancel window was removed piece by piece and taken to a studio specializing in the restoration of stained glass windows. Here it would be painstakingly repaired, cleaned and rebuilt with new lead "came," each of the hundreds of pieces carefully soldered into a complex matrix that would support the colored fragments for the next hundred years. At first the stark glare of the empty spaces, denuded of their stained glass panels, was

2 overwhelming. The chancel became unpleasant to look into, and as the sun began its winter course and hugged the horizon ever more, the glare from the empty window was not at all in keeping with Trinity's jewel-box interior. Soon sheets of colored paper were taped over the empty panels to mute the intense light pouring through. For the next several months, visitors to Trinity Church were puzzled by this odd-looking sight, while members hastened to explain that the window was out for repair and would be back in the near future. Then, during the second week of Advent, a giant jungle-gym of scaffolding was erected in preparation for the reinstallation of the window. The scaffolding was so extensive that it became necessary to abandon the use of the chancel for two Sundays, including Trinity's renowned Christmas Pageant, always the highlight of the season. Some very creative and hard-working members immediately sought to turn the potential lemons into lemonade, and the ugly scaffolding suddenly became a dramatic backdrop for the Pageant's full complement of Sunday School children dressed as the Holy Family, Three Kings, Shepherds and, of course, Angels in sparkling white robes. The brutality of the scaffolding disappeared as the Pageant took center stage, reminding all who were present that the central message of the coming of the baby Jesus into the world was far more important than the presence of steel staging and wooden planks hulking over the chancel's interior. Since most of the window had been reinstalled, the scaffolding was scheduled to be taken down in two days, just in time for the festivities of Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning. But while it was still standing, I could not resist taking the opportunity to return to the church in the early afternoon with my trusty camera, hoping to photograph the restored window in all of its freshlywashed glory. I came back knowing that I would be taking detailed photographs of this window that could not be taken again for another hundred years. I unlocked and opened the door to the church's silent interior about 2:00 pm and stood at the back of the main aisle, contemplating the sight before me. A day that had begun as overcast had turned sunny, and now the completed parts of the window could be seen through the scaffolding in their full glory. It is not easy to find Trinity Church empty and quiet, and under these conditions she always seems to me to be peaceful and contemplative, as if awaiting the next service of worship. Since Trinity's consecration in 1815, countless thousands (millions?) have stood within her walls, enchanted by her richly appointed interior. I savored the moment and then walked down the center aisle to approach the chancel and its scaffolding. The artisans who have labored to return the window to its pristine glory have learned to climb scaffolding as part of their work. I thought of them as I climbed the metal treads of the stairs and ventured out onto the wooden planks that enable them to reach the window. As I gingerly tip-toed my way out onto the edges of the staging, I thought of the potentially dire consequences of slipping and falling, tumbling through this massive steel jungle-gym and landing on the pavement below, only to be discovered when? What amazed me most of all was the detail of the window's panels. Here, high up on the

3 scaffolding, I could see the intricacies of the roundels. Faces, barely visible from the floor of the church, revealed compelling expressions. The artistry of the creators of this great window 120 years ago was revealed in a way almost impossible to contemplate under normal circumstances. The scaffolding creaked and swayed as I made my way through its interior. I would be less than honest if I said that I was not apprehensive, but I knew that I was going to get some photographs that would be impossible for at least a century, and thus emboldened, I managed to screw my courage to the sticking point, and dangled perilously, camera in hand, to take the following photographs for you. And I sincerely hope you enjoy them! These are my Christmas gift to you.

4 THE CHANCEL WINDOW, EASTER 2005

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27 Oh yes, there's the matter of the mysterious pure blue roundel barely visible above the reredos of the altar. When the window was finished in 1885, the present stonework around and above the altar was not yet installed. The three roundels depicting the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ were equally spaced in the center lancet, just as in the other four lancets. However, in 1912 when the stonework of the reredos was put in place, the resurrection panel became invisible, and the story of Our Lord was suddenly incomplete. During the time when Lawson Willard was rector of Trinity Church, the three roundels were rearranged, one over the other, so that all three might be seen again, and a plain blue panel was inserted in the space at the bottom. The next photograph shows this roundel as it appears behind the stonework. Anyone want to give an invisible memorial roundel?

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29 I conclude by wishing you a very happy and holy Christmastide, replete with seasonal joy and the promise of every good thing in the New Year. May the images of this old window, which have witnessed the passage of prosperous and penurious times, war and peace, and sorrow and happiness over the years, remind you of God's abiding love for all humanity, and the promise of eternal life. MERRY CHRISTMAS, ONE AND ALL! Christmas, 2005

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