"While we may no longer be an illiterate society, we are quickly becoming an aliterate one."
Christ Church Cathedral, Canterbury
Teacher and Storyteller
Artists can take on many roles. In the Middle Ages, artists working in the Gothic form often took on the roles of teachers and storytellers. There is perhaps no better example of this than what we find in Medieval stained glass.
Imagine you are a medieval townsperson or even a peasant, attending Mass. You may be able to read but chances are you could not, especially if you were from the lower classes. The same with Latin, townspeople or tradespeople may have known enough to get by, especially if it helped their trade, but for the majority of the people it was a foreign language.
Still you were obligated to attend Mass, then as now. As the prayers of the priest may have been largely unintelligible to you, still the actions of the liturgy are reinforced by the imagery that surrounds you. Murals, mosaics and perhaps most dramatically, the stained glass windows. The sunlight streaming in from the outside is transformed, Brilliant, transcendent light and color washes over you and those near you. The figures represented in the windows leap to life. As you meditate on the stories and lessons you see depicted in the window, you learn, you learn things that most of us, 800 or so years in the future, have forgotten.
What you learn is the story of salvation history, its typology surrounds you. You learn how all the biblical stories you have been taught from the Old Testament are fulfilled in the New. You learn how the parable of the Good Samaritan is about the old law giving way to the new. You learn how Moses leading his people out of Egypt is a type of Jesus leading us out of the darkness of sin and death.
The Story of Redemption
The image above is a detail from the so-called “Redemption Window” in Christ Church Cathedral, Canterbury. It was created sometime between A.D. 1215 and 1220. The window is located in the "Corona chapel" which was built to house the severed crown of Thomas Becket's skull.
The entire window is situated behind the altar. As the priest celebrates Mass those in attendance see behind him the story of our redemption played out in brilliant color. Directly behind the priest is this representation of the crucifix. Above that is the resurrection of Christ and above that is Pentecost.
To appreciate more fully the work of the medieval sacred artist let us look more closely at the crucifixion grouping. In the center we see the crucified Christ, sacrificing Himself for our sake. But all around Him are images that tell us more fully all that Our Lord accomplished by dying on the cross.
The crucifixion is surrounded by four other images, even if you cannot read the Latin inscriptions you would have known the stories and would have been able to see the connections.
The top panel shows Abraham in the act of sacrificing Isaac, his only son. Isaac is bound on the altar and his father raises a sword above him, about to strike. But an angel of the Lord appears and stays Abraham’s hand and we recall the words, “Lay not thy hand upon the boy, neither do thou any thing to him:” Genesis 22:12. Nearby we see the ram caught in the thicket that God has provided to take Isaac’s place.
God promised that the descendants of Abraham would be a great nation. But when God demanded the life of Abraham’s only son, the patriarch obeyed. Just so, God did not withhold from us the life of His only son, so that we might become a great nation.
Moving clockwise around the image, we see the Passover. The Hebrew people held in Egypt anoint the posts and lintels of their doors with the blood of a sacrificed yearling sheep. The blood of the lamb caused the angel of death to pass over the houses of God’s people. Its flesh would nourish them on their journey to the promised land. The blood Christ shed on the cross, the blood of the Lamb of God, preserves us from death. His flesh nourishes us as we travel our pilgrim road back to God.
The third panel shows us the scouts returning from the promised land bearing the fruits that God has promised to His people. Christ is the fruit of the Tree of Life. When we eat of the fruit of the Tree of Life we will live forever. We might also recall how the people of God did not trust in His promise and as a result continued their wanderings.
The fourth panel surrounding the crucifix shows Moses striking the rock of Horeb. Water flows from the rock to quench the thirst of the people. We could be reminded here of another promise and a warning. The blood and water that flowed from the side of Christ on the cross are a promise of Baptism and the Eucharist. In Baptism our sins are washed away and sanctifying grace is restored to us. In the Eucharist we are strengthened and nourished for the journey.
We might also recall that Moses was not instructed to strike the rock, merely to speak to it. For this reason he would not be allowed to enter the promised land but only gaze upon it from a distance.
An Artistic Opportunity
This was one of the great strengths of the Medieval artist. In many ways the Medieval peasant was more literate in their faith than we are today, thanks in large part to the work of such skilled artisans. The stained glass windows of the Middle Ages are a tremendous resource for studying the iconographic prototype that underlies the Gothic form.
This is such an important lesson for the liturgical artist of today. While we may no longer be an illiterate society, we are quickly becoming an aliterate one. We can read, we simply choose not to. Imagine a church filled with such imagery, not only in stained glass but painted on the walls, or in the mosaic Tiles on the floor. The primal waters of creation or Moses parting the Red Sea may decorate the baptistry. An image of the Ark of the Covenant is painted above a statue of Mary. The church choir sings against a backdrop of the heavenly host singing the praises of God.
The Gothic form is tremendously rich in what it can accomplish if the artist is formed in his faith and called to use his gifts to build up the Kingdom.
Pax Vobiscum
Lawrence Klimecki, MSA, is a deacon in the Diocese of Sacramento. He is a public speaker, writer, and artist, reflecting on the intersection of art and faith and the spiritual “hero’s journey” that is part of every person’s life. He maintains a blog at www.DeaconLawrence.org and can be reached at Lawrence@deaconlawrence.com
Lawrence draws on ancient Christian tradition to create new contemporary visions of sacred art. For more information on original art, prints and commissions, Please visit www.DeaconLawrence.org
Purchase fine art prints of Deacon Lawrence’s work here.
“The Visitation” © Lawrence Klimecki
