The Connick Windows at House of Hope Presbyterian Church

 Last week we spent three days in downtown St. Paul, MN, visiting the churches there with Connick windows -- House of Hope Presbyterian Church, the Cathedral of St. Paul, Unity Unitarian, and Open Door Episcopal Church.  It was a truly inspiring experience, and, of course, we took lots of pictures.

Although each of the churches had a number of other interesting features, I plan to focus primarily on the Connick windows in the next series of posts.

Three-panel window in the vestibule of the church, celebrating Christ as the Light of the World.
 Isaiah is on the left (note the Old-Testament halo that is a Connick hallmark) and St. John is on the right. The window is signed in the lower right "Charles Connick, Boston, 1945." Documented in MIT online files as order #2587.

The Connick Windows at House of Hope

Our first stop was House of Hope Presbyterian Church.  Walking into the nave was an amazing experience -- so much color!  All the walls sparkle with colored glass!  House of Hope has an excellent guide to the stained glass treasures in the church -- you can contact the church office for a copy.  Ask for "House of Hope Presbyterian Church Windows" by Anne Yuska and Richard Crone.  Much of the description below is informed by the details in this guide.

The Aisle Windows

The east and west aisles of the nave are lined with five, three-paneled windows on each side. Six of the windows are by Connick -- the four on the west aisle that focus on Abraham, Moses, David, and John the Baptist, and two of those on the east aisle that illustrate Christ's birth and transfiguration.

The six Aisle Windows are illustrated and described in a separate blog post. 

The Transept Windows

According to the guide provided by House of Hope, the East transept window was one of the first Connick windows to be completed (1914-15), along with the Grisaille window and the transfiguration and nativity windows on the East aisle.  During this period, William E. Roberts and Young & Bonawit also completed five other windows, including the passion window at the front of the church, the Apocalypse window at the back, and several windows in the east aisle.

Both Transept windows consist of 12 rectangles, each with an individual depicted inside a medallion.  The East Transept Window focuses on twelve saints of the early Christian Church, including King Alfred and Thomas a' Kempis who were instrumental in strengthening the church in England.  I have not located an order form for this window on the MIT site.

West Transept Window (MIT Order #984), 1922

The West Transept Window (pictured above) presents biblical characters not included in the other windows of the church, including (top row):  Joseph, Rebecca, Joshua, Miriam; (middle row) Samuel, Esther, Daniel, Ruth; (bottom row): Nicodemus, Stephen, Joseph of Arimathea, and Lydia.  It was completed in 1922, when memorial funding became available.

The pure Grisaille window was originally located on the north wall of the East transept.  In 1968 it was moved to the top of the west balcony stairs, making room in the East transept for a new window by Henry Lee Willet representing St. Paul and St. Luke.  Like the other windows made in 1914-15, it lacks any documentation I could locate on the MIT site.  

Charles Connick was a great champion of the "grisaille" technique, which uses grey-tones to define detail and decoration on a stained glass window.  To call this window "pure grisaille" indicates that the focus of this window is decorative rather than narrative.

Other  Interesting (non-Connick) Windows

A total of six stained glass artists have completed work at House of Hope.  The earliest windows (1914-15) were designed by William Roberts, Young & Bonawit, and Charles Connick.  Connick continued to receive commissions from 1918 until his death in 1945.  Later windows were designed by Wilbur Burnham and Willet Studios (between 1948-1969), and then Rowan LaCompte (1990-97).  I have included some of the work by each of these later artists below, to demonstrate the more contemporary stained glass styles of the latter half of the twentieth century.

The Four Seasons and Minstral Gallery Windows (Rowan LeCompte)

In the side walls of the chancel  are a set of contemporary stained glass windows made by Rowan LeCompte in 1990-97. They present a series of famous musicians and poets in a series called "The Four Seasons."   The subjects in these windows range from Tallis, Ravel, Beethoven, and Brahms to Emily Dickinson and e.e. cummings.  As you can see, the colors in these windows are clear and rich, while the subjects -- secular individuals in modern dress -- are surprising additions to the chancel.  Two of the four are pictured below:

In the Spring window (left), we see Mozart, Walt Whitman, and e.e. cummings; in the Summer window (right) Beethoven, Bach, and Emily Dickinson are depicted.

LeCompte also designed the three panel window in the Minstrel Gallery (in the West transept, closest to the left side of the chancel):

In this window, the center panel depicts a mother and child; the child reaches to Jesus in the left panel (note the tri-radiant halo!).  In the right panel we see two of Jesus faithful followers, St. Francis of Assisi (bowing) and Dr. Albert Schweitzer, who holds a sick African child in his arms.  Below are musicians and people bringing lights and dancing.  

The Narthex Windows

There are two narrow windows in the narthex, made by Wilbur Herbert Burnham (Boston, Mass., 1947).  The two present "Praise" and "Thanksgiving," as represented by Deborah and Zechariah.  

W. H. Burnham also created the three-panel "Esther" window in the west aisle and the three-panel War Memorial window in the east aisle of the Nave.  As you can see in the two windows pictured above, his work is very clean and geometric.  

Side Entry Window

David teaching his elders in the temple; feeding the 5,000. 

The window in the side entry (near the church office) was completed by Willet Studios in 1961.  Here we see two events from Jesus' life; other windows in the church by Willet include the King David/St. John window in the East balcony stairwell and the St. Luke/St. Paul Window in the East transept (which replaced the original Grisaille window).

This is truly a beautiful church with many more stained glass windows to enjoy throughout!  I encourage you to visit if you are in the area sometime.