Manger Window

Photo – Peter Swanson

The Lilian W. Manger Memorial Window

1965 – The Little Sanctuary, Saint Albans School, Washington, DC

This is a mysterious window. First of all, it is dark, not so much in subject but in terms of the transparency of the glass. Rowan and Irene chose predominantly dark glass with highlights creating the form of the cross. This was done deliberately; in the school’s brochure Rowan explains that he wished to create, “something suitable for the chapel, something very deep and mysterious so that one is not blinded while looking at the altar. At the same time I wanted something welcoming and glowing. Anything you MUST look at for an hour during chapel services ought to be easy on the eyes and deep in tone.” It is a very large window and basically makes up the entire wall behind the altar, so you really have to look at it, unless you are sleeping in church.

Although the window is large, it is created with a multitude of tiny pieces, each with its own character. You can see in the Details below that there is a lot of crosshatching to control the light. There is also a lot of shading in the glass itself, and the entire composition is made of simple shapes created with black paint. Contemplating this window must surely have kept many students occupied during services.

Iconography

The school’s brochure about the window, by Allie Benson and Lynne Mitchell,offers a great account of the window’s genesis, “Dr. Manger proposed donating a window in honor of his mother, Lilian W. Manger. LeCompte recalls that it was exciting to witness the new opening in the chapel wall; to share in Mr. Eder’s inspirational thoughts and to be creative under Dr. Manger’s sympathetic and indulgent patronage. Dr. Manger told him ‘I’d like you to do your best work and I’m not going to give you any kind of suggestion.’ LeCompte wondered, ‘How could one not be happy?’

“Mrs. Manger had loved the Bible and the symbolism of the Cross. With this in mind, Craig Eder and Rowan LeCompte shared a number of guiding thoughts. One of them was a quotation from the mystical writer Baron von Hugel, ‘Therefore religion is not a development from below, but a golden shower from above.’ At that time there was a stone altar back against the wall. The idea evolved of having a golden shower from above and a fire on the altar with a great cross hovering in-between. ‘In theology there’s always a tension between the Atonement represented by the Cross and the Incarnation,’ the Reverend Eder explains. ‘We represented both here. I love the collect that says, “Almighty God, Who has poured upon us the new light of thine incarnate Word: Grant that the same light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives….” The collect indicates a kindling fire representing the light of the Incarnation. So there is a representation of the Incarnation and the Cross in the same window.’”

Instead of having a conventional cross, Eder and LeCompte thought of having a cross with arms upraised that could suggest both the usual cross and a kind of descending bird with outstretched wings. There was also the idea of “people’s faces looking in represented by circles of brown and tan all around and on the side. These are the people from all ages who have been witnesses to the fire of the Incarnation and the Atonement.”