Welcome! This website is a summary and expansion of one of my 2019 MA History of Art essays from the University of York about the stained glass in Our Lady's Roman Catholic Church. After considering options for publication, I decided to share my essay on an online platform in small sections with relevant visual aids and links. I hope this website will inform and inspire conversations about the dalle-de-verre glass and the Christian faith.
Our Lady's Church is a beautiful Grade II listed building in the heart of Warwickshire. It is a hidden gem with simply stunning stained glass. The Church is magnificently modern and was created in response to liturgical changes from the Second Vatican Council. This is reflected in the interior with a highly modernist aesthetic, with a central plan and raised sanctuary. Our Lady’s Church is brilliantly embellished with an extensive Clerestory and Ground-floor Chapels with abstract and figurative dalle in simplistically shaped slabs of glass. The wonderful windows form part of worship, with a connection between depiction and devotion throughout the Church. There are visual and biblical links between the different panels, Chapels and other dalle commissions by Norris, demonstrating the importance of Our Lady’s Church and Norris’ other glass works. The main themes of Our Lady’s Church are the movement of the Spirit, Creation, and God’s presence across the whole of sacred history. Another important recurrent motif is the Alpha and Omega. The execution of the biblical word and moralising messages with symbolically glowing glass in rich vibrant colours connects the colours of the glazing scheme to the messages of the church. This website unpacks and deciphers the hidden meanings and messages of the glass at Our Lady’s Church with my original interpretations of the glass to enable everyone to understand the Churches complex iconography.
If you would like to contribute to the maintenance and upkeep of this Grade II listed building please consider donating.