St. Mary's windows - Pacific Grove, California
Posted by: 
hotshoe
N 36° 37.270 W 121° 54.850
10S E 597091 N 4053397
Windows in historic church are a mix of old and new
Waymark Code: WM65F9
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 04/06/2009
Views: 1
This church is famous for its beautiful interior. The original windows were stained glass in a plain style; as the years passed, parishioners donated other, more ornate, windows. The bequest of a pair of Tiffany windows is a highlight, although they seem out of place compared to the religious nature of the other stained glass scenes.
The window over the altar is a depiction of the Annunciation, but set against a Monterey Bay backdrop. "It was designed and executed by Bruce Porter of San Francisco, who spent some days in the Grove that he might embody the local characteristics and coloring... A branch of our swaying pine trees forms the background for the head of the virgin, as she listens to the words of the radiant angel kneeling before her and extending a spray of Annunciation lilies. She is seated on a rock beside the sea, a fleur de-lis blossoming at her feet. We discover a suggestion of breakers, and beyond, the deep blue of the bay loses itself in the soft tints of the distant mountains, up to the glow of the opalescent clouds."
(
visit link)