Photo – Peter Swanson

Young Jesus in the Temple

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

This is the second of four windows in the bell tower of The Church of the Nativity and Holy Comforter that illustrate events in the life of Christ.  These windows are just a bit muted in their color, casting a beautiful moody light.  Rowan and Irene’s use of horizontal lines in the background creates an interesting texture in the upper half of the window.   This window and its neighbor, the Presentation window, both have warm reds as a dominant color.

Iconography

The story depicted in this window, like the story of Jesus’ presentation in the Temple, is from the Gospel according to Luke (2:41-49). Twelve-year-old Jesus has been missing for three days when his parents find him in the Temple, sitting with the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Several small pieces of purple glass show that the teacher at the bottom is holding a scroll, presumably a religious text such as the Torah or one of the books of the prophets. The hooded figure looking on at the top may be Jesus’ father, Joseph.

Year Completed

1955

Artists

Rowan LeCompte

Irene Matz LeCompte

Fabricator

Rowan LeCompte

Irene Matz LeCompte

Location In Building

Bell Tower West Wall