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Christ Church Cathedral in Vancouver is renowned for its stained glass windows.
The transept window tells the story of the Crucifixion and was created by Joseph Bell & Sons of Bristol, England in 1911. Originally intended to be the main chancel window, the church leadership felt it was "too Catholic" and instead worked out a compromise placing the window in the West Transept instead.
The sky and earth are in darkness; as it approaches the ninth hour Christ cries out, "Eloi, Eloi lama sabachtani" (Mark 15.34) translated into English "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Jesus is not merely uttering a cry of despair but proclaiming that the words of scripture have been fulfilled. The women with halos are his mother, supported by John the disciple, Mary Cleopas and Mary Magdalene. In the crowd a soldier carries a banner bearing the letters S.P.Q.R.: Senatus Populusque Romanu, meaning "The Senate and the People of Rome", the motto of the Roman Empire. The dice in the foreground are those used by the soldiers to gamble for Jesus’ robes. On the cross, the letters I.N.R.I.: Jesus Nazarenus, Rex Judaeorum, Latin for Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. The Crown of Thorns on Jesus’ head was placed by Roman soldiers as their way of crowning Him as king - a Mockery crown. At the left and right, two thieves hang on their crosses. At the lower right, a soldier prepares to offer Jesus a bowl of sour wine. There are five spears depicted in the window; all together they represent the five wounds Christ receives. In the fourth panel a Roman Centurion holds a laurel wreath, the symbol of victory. The gold shield is Rome the protector, the eagle as bird of prey is the Roman symbol of the conquerors. Six seraphim are holding shields bearing symbols of the Crucifixion: Christ’s seamless coat with dice, ladder with hyssop reed and spear, Palm of Victory, recalling his triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, crown of Christ the King, pillar and whips of Christ’s scourging, and the nails used to crucify him. The letters IHS and IHC on either side of window are surmounted by radiant crowns. These letters are the first three letters of Ihsus, the name of Jesus in Greek. The ‘S’ and ‘C’ are variant forms in the Greek alphabet The words along the border comprise the last line of the Apostles’ Creed.
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Panel from the north window in the chanecl featuring a mounted St George slaying a blue dragon.
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St Margaret of Scotland
Margaret, one of the last Saxon royalty and a direct descendant of King Alfred was born in 1046. The invasion of England by King Canute and his Danish Army forced Margaret into exile from which she returned a number of years later. A second retreat away from advancing Norman Army's caused her to set sail from Northumbria only to be blow off course, ending up in Fife where she was given protection by the then Scottish king Malcom III. Initially refusing Malcolms offers of marriage Margaret led a life of piety as a virgin, but a few years later in 1069 she eventually gave in and the two married.
Retaining much of her aquired European manners, ceremony and culture, she introduced this to Scotland so improving it reputation.
Margaret maintained her piety and religious observance and was responsible for many churches, monasteries and pilgrimage hostels and established the Royal Mausoleum at Dunfermline Abbey with monks from Canterbury.
Malcom and Margaret had a total of eight children, all with English names, two of whom David and Alexander followed their father to the throne.Whilst their sister Edith went on to marry Henry I of England and change her name to Matilda.
Margaret spent alot of her life caring for the poor and orphans which is illustrated in this window where she is seen handing bread to peasants who are kneeling before her.
She died aged 47 after a long illness and was buried alongside Malcolm in Dunfermline Abbey. It is reported that miracles took place in and around her tomb which supported her canonization in 1250 by Pope Innocent IV.
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