Card image

St Mary's Cathedral: Great East (Jesse) Window (Made by William Wailes 1844)

Jesse KingSolomon KingDavid Jechonias Joseph and Jacob Mary with the Infant Jesus WW

This window, made by William Wailes who made all Pugin's windows from 1841 - 1845 is a Jesse window.
When the prophet Isaiah said, "A root springs from the stock of Jesse"' he was referring to Jesus. At the beginning of his Gospel, St Matthew lists the ancestors of Jesus in three sets of 28 and the window illustrates the third set starting with Jesse, the father of King David. There are pictures of all 28 of them and Jesse is shown seated at the bottom of the centre light, slightly obscured by the reredos, and from a vine reaches out through the whole of the window to Mary with the infant Jesus at the top. King David is on the left of Jesse and King Solomon is on the right.

The patriarchs are shown wearing colured hats while all the kings are are wearing crowns except Jechonias, the only one bareheaded. Jechonias, the figure shown in the centre light with his hand on his head, was king but was never crowned, being taken into exile at Babylon, St Joseph, the foster father of Jesus, is at the top on the left and is shown holding a carpenter's square. Next to him is Jacob, who was his father. Mary is shown with the Infant Jesus standing on her knee and above in the tiny aperture is the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. The coat of arms of the Dunn family who paid for the window, is in the centre. In the bottom left hand corner is the monogram WW and the date 1844.

LOOK FOR the tears on the face of Jechonias

See Tour Page