Photo – Peter Swanson

John The Baptist

1955 –Church of the Nativity and Holy Comforter, Baltimore, MD

This is number three of four windows in the bell tower of The Church of the Nativity and Holy Comforter showcasing events in the life of Christ.  All of the windows are the same size and have a similar character in their design.  Unlike the two windows on the west wall of the tower, the background in this window depicting John the Baptist baptizing Jesus is turbulent.  It swirls around as if to depict the waters of the Jordan River washing over Christ. This window, along with its neighbor, the Carpenters window, has cooler blues, purples and greens as the dominant colors.

Iconography

In the window we see John baptizing Jesus in the swirling Jordan River.  With his right hand, John reaches down to Jesus, while with his left hand he reaches up to Heaven, from which a heavenly dove is descending, signifying the approval of God the Father and the descent of the Holy Spirit on Jesus. The Gospel of Matthew (3:16-17) describes the scene: “And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’”

Year Completed

1955

Artists

Rowan LeCompte

Irene Matz LeCompte

Fabricator

Rowan LeCompte

Irene Matz LeCompte

Location In Building

Bell Tower East Wall