Photo – Peter Swanson

Christmas

1989 – National City Church, Washington, DC

Up high in the north and south walls of the narthex in this huge church in downtown Washington are two circular windows  This one is on the north side.  Here the fiery red of the poinsettia flower in the center grabs the eye, but its brilliance is tempered by the cool greens and blues that surround it. Both of these windows are beautiful in their simplicity, but you must look up to see them as you walk through the narthex and into the church.

Iconography

The Christmas theme is clear here, and we have confirmed it from the notes on the initial sketches of these windows. The bright poinsettia in the middle of the window is the counterpart of the lilies in the center of the Easter window, with poinsettias being the flower most associated with Christmas, just as white lilies are with Easter. The small candles in the poinsettia’s center not only suggest its yellow clustered buds but also can represent Christ, the light of the world, in his birth in a stable at Christmas. The poinsettia is surrounded by a holly wreath in deep greens, blues and dark purples, the counterpart of the crown of thorns in the Easter window.

Year Completed

1989

Artists

Rowan LeCompte

Fabricator

Rowan LeCompte

Location In Building

Narthex North Wall