THE ECHELON WINDOWS & INNER ENTRANCE DOORS
The description of the Echelon Windows and Inner Entrance Doors given in the following text has been taken from a little leaflet produced at the time of the opening of the new church building in September 1961. The glasswork was carried out by the Guildford Glass and Metal Works Ltd., who were responsible for the glass in Guildford Cathedral.
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East Echelon Windows Symbols:
Depicting the Life of the Christ
The Star of Bethlehem supposed to be the morning star, symbolises the Nativity. As the morning star proclaims the dawn, so Christ's birth heralded the passing of the world from night to day - from the darkness of sin to the light of salvation.
The Cross and Crown of the Thorns symbolises the Passion
The Pelican who tears open her breast to feed her younf with her blood, is the symbol of Christ's work of redemption and sacrifice, and resurrection. It is believed that the Pelecan brought young ones to life with its blood. The emblem is frequently shown above the crucifixion.
The Eagle, because it is the bird which soars heavenward.
The and were frequently used by early Christians as symbols of the Trinity and Eternity
West Echelon Windows:
Depicting the Life of the Christian
The Egg is the symbol of creation.
The Apple and Serpent are symbols of sin.
The Dove was used by early Christians on the tombs in the catacombs, and the position of the bird had a special significance: it usually signifies the Holy Ghost but in some cases, as in this example, it symbolises baptism.
The Apple is the symbol of the fall of man, but in the hand of Christ symbolises the redemption from sin. The hand is shown to be that of Christ by the use of the cruciform nimbus - a halo with the cross superimposed on it
The Lamp symbolises guidance, knowledge, enlightenment, and immortality.
The Inner Entrance Doors: Etched Glass
Representling the Four Evangelists
Therse symbols follow the application of the four creatures put forward by St. Jerome in his commentary on Ezekiel Chapter 1 versze 5. The early images of the evangelical symbols are uniformly represented with wings, for the same reason wings were given to angels.
St Matthew
St Matthew was given the Cherub, or human semblance because he begins his Gospel with the human generation of Christ; or according to others, because in hios Gospel the human nature of Christ is more insisted on than the divine.
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In the most ancient mosaics the type is human, not angelic, for the head is that of man with a beard.
St Mark
St Mark was the Lion because he has sent forth the royal dignity of Christ, or according to a third interpretation, the lion was allotted to St Mark because there was in the Middle Ages a popular belief that the young of the lion was born dead, and after three days awakened to vitality by the breath of sire. The revival of the young lion was considered as symbolic of the resurrection, and Mark was commonly called the 'Historian of the Resurrection'
St Luke
St Luke has the OX because he has dwelt on the priesthood of Christ, the ox being the emblem of satisfaction.
St John
St John has the Eagle which is the symbol of the highest aspiration, because he soared upwards to the contemplation of the divine nature of the Saviour.