Peace Windows & Other Glass Around the World

Right click image to enlarge.

Circa 1660 - "Dove of the Holy Spirit" by Gianlorenzo Bernini [1598-1680], Throne of St. Peter, Basilica of St. Peter (Vatican City).

About 1807 - Newton's grave & Stained glass window depicting the 'Greyhound,' Parish Church of St. Peter & St. Paul, Olney, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire (England). One of a series of stained glass windows depicting the ship "Greyhound." John Newton [1725-1807], a one time slaver, underwent religious conversion & conversion to the anti-slavery cause. His near shipwreck on the 'Greyhound' which found refuge in Londonderry (Northern Ireland) in 1748 played a part in this process. He went on to write ‘Amazing Grace.’" /// ". The Vicarage was occupied by John Newton as Curate from 1764 until 1780, when he moved to London, becoming Rector of St. Mary Woolnoth. A dormer window belongs to the study where he wrote Amazing Grace. The church contains Newton's pulpit & fine stained glass windows commemorating William Cowper [1731-1800] & Newton. In the churchyard are the graves of Newton & his wife Mary, with an interesting inscription describing himself as 'once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa...'" When was the window created?

1900? - Peace Angel, St. Gregory's Church, Vale of Lune, about 1.5 miles (2 km) west of Sedbergh, Cumbria (England). "The church contains amongst others, three beautiful William Morris designed stained glass windows, beautifully placed to make full use of the light airy interior of the church. 'Peace' is perhaps the best placed of the three, sitting as it does in the north wall of the church. It is plainly visible from the far South end of the church, and if the light hits it just right, it lights the porch up." Information courtesy of Gerard Lössbroek (Pax Christi).

November 1907 - "Blessed Are The Peacemakers," Arlington Street Church (Unitarian Universalist), Boston, Masssachusetts (USA). In galleries on the right facing the pulpit. Inscription: "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be be called the children of God" [Matthew 5-9]. A memorial to Boston lawyer Alexander Strong Wheeler & presented by his family. "The Tiffany windows in Arlington Street Church are famous for their beauty of design & execution & are believed to be the largest collection of Tiffany windows in any one church. They follow a general plan adopted in 1898 and were installed between 1898 and 1933. The windows represent the highest development of American art in glass. Special Tiffany techniques were used, such as painting certain details & multiple layers of opalescent glass to achieve desired shades of color and Tiffany’s unique creation of folds and drapes. The windows in the galleries, illustrative of the Beatitudes, were designed by Frederick Wilson [1858-1932]. All of the windows were made under the supervision of Louis Comfort Tiffany [1848-1933] & Edward S. George."

1917 - Tiffany Windows, American Red Cross (ARC), 430-17th Street, Washington, DC (USA). Depict the most significant values of the Red Cross: Hope, faith, charity and love. Designed & constructed by the renowned studio of Louis Comfort Tiffany [1848-1933], son of the New York City jeweler. Reputed to be the largest set of windows still in their original state.

Date? - Angel of Peace stained glass window, Church of St. Wendreda, March, Cambridgeshire (England). Inscription: "Be of one mind, live in peace" [2 Corinthians 13:11]. /// "The church is world famous for its magnificent double-hammer beam roof, & together with 120 carved angels it is regarded as one of the best of its kind."

1918? - Memorial Window, St. Mary the Virgin Church, Swardeston, Norfolk (England). British Nurse Edith Cavell [1865-1915] was "quite the most famous woman to be killed in World War I." "In Swardeston, where she was born [and her father was rector], the window over the altar of the church is dedicated to her." "Completed before the end of the War by Ernest Heasman. Edith Cavell kneels in her nurse's uniform at the foot of the cross, accompanied by smaller, appropriate figures, including St. Agnes, St. Margaret and Florence Nightingale." Image shows a detail from the window. Click here for more Edith Cavell monuments in the UK, Belgium, France, Canada, Australia & the USA.

1929 - Charles Lindbergh Goodwill Window, Trinity Methodist Church, Springfield, Massachusetts (USA).

1938 - Roman Catholic Franciscan chapel, Mount of Beatitudes, between Capernaum & Gennesaret, northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee (Israel). Also known as Mount Eremos. Stained glass windows around the dome depict "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God" [Matthew 5:9] & the other Beatitudes.

1950's - Peace Window, Canterbury Cathedral, England (UK). Designed by Hungarian refugee Ervin Bossany.

W I N D O W S

February 1962 - Twelve Tribes of Israel, Hadassah Medical Center, Ein Kerem campus, Jerusalem (Israel). A famous set of 12 stained glass windows created & donated in 1960 by Marc Chagall [1887-1985]. During the dedication ceremony, Chagall called the windows "the modest present which I give to the Jewish people who have always dreamed of love, friendship and peace among peoples."

September 17, 1964 - "Peace & Human Happiness", Eastern Side of the Public Lobby, United Nations, New York City, New York (USA). Stained glass window by Marc Chagall. Memorial to Dag Hammarskjold [1905-1961] about 15 feet wide and 12 feet high. Contains several symbols of peace and love, such as the young child in the center being kissed by an angelic face which emerges from a mass of flowers. On the left, below and above, motherhood and the people who are struggling for peace are depicted." Entry #755 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).

1966 - Martin Luther King, Jr., Mahatma Gandhi & Mother Theresa (stained glass window), St Andrew's United Church, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan (Canada). 1976 - Vitrail de la paix / Peace Window, Chapelle des Cordeliers, Sarrebourg (France). Créé par Marc Chagall [1887-1985]. Compare Chagall's peace window at the United Nations in New York City (USA). 1991 - Lockerbie Memorial Window, Lower Town Hall, Lockerbie (Scotland). Stained glass art by glasspainter John K. Clark. "Depicts the flags of all nations which lost citizens in the Lockerbie disaster when Pan Am flight 103 was blown apart above the Scottish border town on Dec. 21, 1988. All 269 passengers and crew, on the Pan Am flight 103 and 11 people on the ground were killed in the bombing." Click here for other memorials in Lockerbie. 1993? - "Tree of Peace," Turning Stone Resort & Casino, Verona, New York (USA). Luminous glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly. The casino belongs to the Oneida Indian Nation. See Chihuly's "Flame of Liberty" at the National Liberty Museum, Philadelphia (2000). 1995 - Peace Window, St. Monica's Cathedral, Cairns, Queensland (Australia). Two flanking panels each 1.7 metres x 11 metres, and a central overhead panel of 3.5 metres x 7 metres. Commissioned to commemorate 50 years of peace in the Pacific region since the end of World War II. The Cathedral is dedicated to the Battle of the Coral Sea, fought due east of Cairns between the 4th and 8th of May in 1942. Date? - Dove of Peace Window, Abundant Grace Church, 2425 South Emerson Avenue, Greenwood, Indiana (USA). Date? - Peace Window, Northminster Presbyterian Church, 10720 North Knoxville Avenue, Peoria, Illinois (USA). Depicts lion & lamb from Isaiah 11: 6-9. 2000? - "Flame of Liberty," National Liberty Museum, 321 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA). Centerpiece is a 21-foot sculpture by the world’s most renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly. "Dedicated to helping educators meet academic standards, while providing curriculum for the most critical areas of cross content education, including anti-bullying and non-violence, respect for diversity, pride in oneself, civic responsibility, independent thinking and more." Displays include all Nobel Peace Prize Winners, religious persecution, political repression, slavery, reconciliation, street violence, violence in the media, Native Americans, the immigrant experience, peace heroes, Anne Frank's secret annex, Nelson Mandela's jail cell, and Felix Zandman's hideout in the ghetto of Grodno, Poland, during WW-II. "Glass art is a key component of the Museum because it represents both the beauty and fragility of freedom. Has one of the largest and most important collections of contemporary glass sculptures in the world." Displays peace sculpture by Lin Evola ("Peace Angels"), Lucio Bubacco, Cynthia Constentino ("Family with Guns"), Ulla Darni ("The Peace Portal"), Irene Frolic ("Peace is on My Mind"), Gartan ("John Lennon"), Steve Greenberg ("Guns in America"), Tolla Inbar ("Climb of the Couragous"), John Knowles ("Strength through Faith") Finn Lynggaard, February 12, 2010? - "Preserving Peace for the Future Generations," Palais des Nations, Geneva (Switzerland). "A unique glass sculpture by Russian sculptor Gregory Pototsky. Produced with the assistance of the International Informatization Academy (IIA), a major NGO in the Russian Federation with more than 18,000 members. Presented to the UN Office in Geneva by the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, Sergei V. Lavrov." Please email your comments & questions to geovisual @ comcast.net. Thank you. Return to Peace Monuments main page.