The remaining nave windows follow a design pattern based on the main color of the garb of the saint depicted in the window. Each saint is standing within a beautiful Gothic canopy. All of the windows originally had ventilators that held a symbol connected to the saint. Unfortunately, various renovations such as the addition of doors necessitated the removal of many of these extremely attractive small windows.
St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist
After our Blessed Lord, the next window on the left facing the altar shows St. Matthew in a cloak of light blue with a white robe underneath. Blue, therefore, is the dominant color of the border around the outer portion of this window together with white highlights. Matthew holds a quill pen and a book, symbolic of his role as the author of a Gospel.
In the door below, there are later windows, one with a stylized IHS with a cross, the other with the alpha and omega.
We know little about St. Matthew. He probably was born in Galilee and worked as a tax collector, a hated profession during the time of Christ. According to the Gospel, Matthew was working at a collection booth in Capernaum when Christ came to him and said, “Follow me.” With this simple call, Matthew became one of the Twelve Apostles. The author of a Gospel, he is thereby also known as Matthew the Evangelist. Traditionally, his Gospel is the first of the four Gospels in the New Testament. He wrote in Aramaic, a variant of Hebrew.
The symbol of St. Matthew often is a winged man or angel, one of the four living creatures in Revelation 4:7, which have been applied to the Four Evangelists. “The first living creature was like a lion, the second like a bull, the third living creature had a human face, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.”
Matthew was a tax collector and is therefore the patron saint of tax collectors, accountants, bankers, and civil servants. His symbol, the winged man, symbolizes that Christians should use their reason for salvation.
His feast day is September 21.
St. Mark the Evangelist
On the left after St. Matthew comes St. Mark.
St. Mark is wearing a red cloak with a yellow gold ankle-length robe. Consequently, the border frame is dominated by red with yellow gold as well. Mark also holds a quill pen and a book, symbolic of his role as the author of a Gospel.
The Lion, symbol of St. Mark, is shown in the ventilator at the base of the window.
St. Mark the Evangelist is believed to have been a traveling companion of St. Peter. Mark wrote down the sermons of St. Peter, thus composing the Gospel attributed to him. According to tradition, Mark traveled to Alexandria in Egypt and founded the Church of Alexandria. The Coptic Churches of Egypt and Ethiopia trace their origins to their evangelization by Mark. Mark is honored as the founder of Christianity in Africa.
In 828, relics believed to be the body of St. Mark were taken from Alexandria (at the time controlled by Arab Muslims) by Venetian merchants with the help of Greek monks and taken to Venice. Legend says the relics were covered with a layer of pork and cabbage leaves. Since Muslims are not permitted to eat pork, this was done to prevent the guards from inspecting the ship’s cargo too closely.
St. Mark’s feast day is celebrated on April 25, and his symbol, the winged lion, shown in the ventilator, also is the emblem of Venice. The lion indicates that Christians should be courageous on the path of salvation. Mark is the patron saint of lions, lawyers, notaries, opticians, pharmacists, painters, secretaries, interpreters, prisoners, and people dealing with insect bites.
St. Paul the Apostle
Continuing on the left, St. Paul is dressed in green, white, and red and so we find these colors in the border around the window. St. Paul is holding a sword that is the symbol of his martyrdom, and a book symbolizing his authorship of numerous epistles. The ventilator beneath depicts two crossed swords.
Paul was a Pharisee who ruthlessly persecuted Christians. According to the Book of Acts of the Apostles, Paul was converted while traveling to Damascus to continue his persecution. Paul recounted that he experienced a vision of the ascended Jesus. The account says that “On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ He said, ‘Who are you, sir?’ The reply came, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.’” (Acts 9:3-6). According to the account, he was blinded for three days and had to be led into Damascus by hand. During these three days, he took no food or water and spent his time in prayer.
The account tells us that Ananias of Damascus “went and entered the house; laying his hands on him, he said, ‘Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me, Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came, that you may regain your sight and be filled with the holy Spirit.’ Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. He got up and was baptized, and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength.” (Acts 9:17-19)
Paul then traveled several years throughout the Mediterranean, writing instructional letters to various Christian communities. Fourteen letters are attributed to Paul, although the authenticity of some is disputed by scholars. Paul was arrested in Jerusalem. However, he could not be tried by the local Jewish authorities since he was a Roman citizen. He was brought to Rome, tried, and decapitated.
The symbols of St. Paul in the ventilator are the sword and the book. The sword is a reminder of his martyrdom, and the book recalls his writings. His feast day is observed on June 29, the Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul. The Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul is observed on January 25. He is the patron saint of the missions, writers, and publishers.
St. Rose of Lima
As we continue on the left, the next is the window of St. Rose of Lima. It is smaller than other windows as it must fit under the organ loft. It is unlike the others in that its frame repeats not the red of her robe but the dark blue of the background on her window. St. Rose is shown wearing a crown of roses, echoing her name. She is holding a cross, reminding us of her writings on carrying the cross in life: “Apart from the cross there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven.”
St. Rose of Lima (1586-1617) was born to a noble family in Lima, then in the Viceroyalty of Peru. She was born as Isabel Flores de Oliva. Her later nickname “Rose” comes from an incident in her infancy when a servant claimed to have seen her face transform into a rose. In 1597 Isabel was confirmed and she formally took the name of Rose. As a young girl, despite the censure of her parents, she spent many hours contemplating the Blessed Sacrament, which she received daily, an extremely rare practice in that period. She was determined to take a vow of virginity, which was opposed by her parents who wished her to marry.
Rose sold her fine needlework, and took flowers that she grew to the market, to help her family. She made and sold lace and embroidery to care for the poor. At the age of twenty, she became a Dominican tertiary and took a vow of perpetual virginity. She allowed herself to sleep only two hours a night at most, so that she had more hours to devote to prayer.
Rose was canonized on 12 April 1671, by Pope Clement X, and was the first Catholic of the Americas to be declared a Saint. Her feast day is August 23. St. Rose is the patroness of the Americas, the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, and of Peru, especially the city of Lima, of the Indies, and of the Philippines. She is also the patron saint of embroiderers, gardening, and cultivation of blooming flowers.
St. Patrick
The last window on the left is St. Patrick. Unsurprisingly, St. Patrick’s window is dominated by the color green. Patrick is dressed as a bishop wearing his miter and carrying his crosier or pastoral staff.
St. Patrick was a Roman-British Catholic missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the “Apostle of Ireland,” he is the primary patron saint of Ireland. The dates of Patrick’s life cannot be fixed with certainty, but there is general agreement that he was active as a missionary in Ireland during the fifth century. Early medieval tradition credits him with being the first bishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland and considers him to be the founder of Christianity in Ireland.
Legend credits Patrick with teaching the Irish about the doctrine of the Holy Trinity by showing people the shamrock, a three-leafed plant, using it to illustrate the doctrine of the Trinity. The shamrock has since become a central symbol for St. Patrick’s Day. Legend also has attributed to Patrick the banishment of all snakes from Ireland.
Although it has never been proven, Patrick is said to be buried at Down Cathedral in Downpatrick, County Down, alongside St. Brigid and St. Columba. St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, Nigeria, Montserrat, the archdiocese of Newark, and the archdioceses of New York, Boston, and Melbourne, as well as of engineers, and paralegals. He is invoked against poisonous snakes.
St. Patrick’s Day is observed on March 17, the supposed date of his death. It is celebrated inside and outside Ireland as a religious and cultural holiday.
St. John the Apostle and Evangelist
On the right, after the window of the Blessed Virgin, is the window portraying St. John the Apostle and Evangelist. It is surrounded by a design emphasizing red, green, and white, the colors of his garments. He is holding a chalice from which a dragon, in this case a green wyvern, emerges. The dragon recalls the legend of St. John being offered a poisoned chalice but being unharmed by the poison.
Tradition says that John the Evangelist was John the Apostle. The Apostle John was one of the “pillars” of the church at Jerusalem after Jesus’ death. He was one of the original Twelve Apostles and is thought to be the only one to have not been martyred. He is considered to be the author of the Fourth Gospel and three epistles. Many claim that he also was the author of the Book of Revelation. Because of the theological character of his gospel, John sometimes is called St. John the Theologian or St. John the Divine.
John the Evangelist is symbolically represented by an eagle, one of the creatures envisioned by Ezekiel (1:10) and in the Book of Revelation (4:7). This symbolizes that Christians are journeying towards God in heaven.
The phrase applied to John, “the disciple whom Jesus loved as a brother,” is used six times in the Gospel of John, but in no other New Testament accounts. It is traditionally believed that John was the youngest of the apostles and survived them. He is said to have lived to old age, dying at Ephesus sometime after 98 A.D.
The feast day of St. John is December 27. He is the patron saint of loyalty, friendships, authors, booksellers, burn-victims, poison-victims, art-dealers, editors, publishers, scribes, examinations, scholars, and theologians.
St. Luke the Evangelist
St. Luke wears blue and white and therefore is surrounded by a design of these colors. He holds a book, recalling his authorship of one of the Four Gospels. In the ventilator below there is a bull, St. Luke’s traditional symbol.
Luke is one of the Four Evangelists – the four traditionally ascribed authors of the canonical Gospels. He is believed to be the author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, which would mean Luke contributed over a quarter of the text of the New Testament, more than any other author. The New Testament mentions Luke briefly a few times, and the Epistle to the Colossians refers to him as a physician. He is believed to have been a martyr, according to tradition, having been hanged from an olive tree.
A legend, dating from the eighth century, states that Luke was the first icon painter. He is said to have painted pictures of the Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus. According to some traditions, the lengthy infancy narratives in Luke came from conversations with the Blessed Virgin Mary. Few hold this tradition any longer.
Luke’s symbol is a winged ox or bull — a figure of sacrifice, service, and strength. Luke’s account begins with the duties of Zechariah in the temple; it represents Jesus’s sacrifice in His Passion and Crucifixion, as well as Christ being High Priest. The ox signifies that Christians should be prepared to sacrifice themselves in following Christ.
St. Luke is a patron saint of artists, physicians, bachelors, surgeons, students, and butchers. His feast day is October 18.
The ox is depicted in the ventilator.
St. Peter the Apostle, Prince of the Apostles
St. Peter, in this window, wears red and green, which are echoed in the surrounding design. He carries the “Keys of the Kingdom,” one of his symbols, and a book indicating his authorship of two epistles. St. Peter’s keys originally were depicted in the ventilator, but an injudicious repair replaced them with a poor-quality window portraying a dove.
St. Peter, also known as Simon Peter, was one of the Twelve Apostles. According to tradition, Peter was crucified in Rome under Emperor Nero between 64 and 68 A.D. He is regarded as the first Bishop pf Rome – or Pope – and also as the first Patriarch of Antioch.
Jesus gave Peter a special position in the Church, demonstrated in these dialogues.
Matthew 17-19
“Simon Peter said in reply, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus said to him in reply, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so, I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.’”
John 21:15-17
“When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.’ He said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ He then said to him a second time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.’ He said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ [Jesus] said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.’”
In the New Testament, Peter appears repeatedly and prominently in all four Gospels as well as the Acts of the Apostles. He is the brother of St. Andrew, and both brothers were fishermen. The Gospel of Mark was traditionally thought to show the influence of Peter’s preaching and eyewitness memories.
He is the patron saint of Rome and of many cities that bear his name, such as St. Petersburg. As a former fisherman, he is the patron saint of netmakers, shipbuilders, fishermen, and sailors, and of shoemakers. Because he holds the “keys of heaven,” he likewise is the patron saint of locksmiths, the Papacy, and the Universal Church.
His symbols are the Cross of St. Peter or Petrine Cross, an inverted Latin cross, recalling his martyrdom on such a cross; and the crossed gold and silver “Keys of Heaven,” traditionally used as a symbol of the Papacy. His feast day, with St. Paul, is June 29.
The ventilator contains an unfortunate later “repair/replacement” window.
St. Joseph
The dark reddish background of the glass depiction of St. Joseph, together with his white robe, create the color theme for the surrounding frame. St. Joseph is holding two small birds, recalling the offering to the Temple for a first-born son by a poor person. He also is holding a staff that, according to a tradition, blossomed into lilies indicating that he should be the spouse of the young Virgin Mary. This window is shortened by its location under the organ loft.
St. Joseph appears in the infancy narratives in Matthew and Luke. In Matthew, Joseph obeyed the direction of an angel to marry Mary. Following the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, an angel told Joseph in a dream to take the family to Egypt to escape the massacre of the children of Bethlehem planned by Herod, the ruler of the Roman province of Judea. After Herod died, an angel told Joseph to return but to avoid Herod’s son, and he takes his wife and the child to Nazareth in Galilee and settled there.
In Luke, Joseph already lived in Nazareth. Joseph and Mary were obliged to travel to Bethlehem to be counted in a Roman census, and Jesus was born there. Luke’s account makes no mention of Joseph being visited by angels, the massacre of the innocents, or of a visit to Egypt.
The last time Joseph appears in person in any of the Gospels is in the narrative of the Passover visit to the Temple in Jerusalem when Jesus is 12 years old.
Pope Blessed Pius IX proclaimed St. Joseph the patron saint of the Universal Church in 1870. Having died in the “arms of Jesus and Mary” according to Catholic tradition, he is considered the model of the pious believer who receives grace at the moment of death, in other words, the patron of a happy death.
St. Joseph is the patron saint of a number of cities, regions, and countries, among them the Americas, Austria, Canada, China, Croatia, Indonesia, Mexico, Korea, Peru, the Philippines, and Vietnam. He also is patron of families, fathers, expectant mothers, explorers, pilgrims, travelers, immigrants, house sellers and buyers, craftsmen, engineers, and working people in general.
Many cities, towns, and locations are named after St. Joseph. San Jose is the most common place name in the world. The most-recognized San Jose’s are San Jose, Costa Rica and San Jose, California.
« The Nave Windows: The Blessed Virgin Mary | The Chapel and the Chapel Windows »