The Cathedral's Stained Glass Windows

The Nativity ( East Transcept)

The restoration of the stained glass window project was completed on November the 8th, 1991.It was the last replacement for over 350 broken or cracked panes in our windows. All of our more than 40 magnificent stained glass windows had been covered with Lexan (Milar #5 manufactured by General Electric). They are sealed from the elements and from any acts of vandalism. Many of the panes required a total releading, and the cleaning of the panels both inside and out, which necessitated meticulous care. Cleaning was a major part of the yearlong restoration effort.

In restoring the West Gallery Rose Window it was found that the artisans at the Mayer Studio in Munich had designed the window with two operable vents. These vents had not been functional since their installation over 75 years ago. For what reason, we don't know. Perhaps it was because the flower-petalled frame for the window was fabricated in New York and at the time of its shipping to Spokane, had not been adapted for the vent panels. In this restoration, this problem was corrected. These panels are now operable and will be of great assistance in ventilating the church during hot summer months. They were covered with screens during the summer to protect the interior from dirt and dust.

Each window posed unique engineering challenges nearly a century ago and made all of us aware of how precise the planning had been for the windows. The original craftsmen displayed remarkable skill in marrying the window design to the concrete and brick of the superstructure. It is amazing to think that nearly 100 years ago, people working 8,000 miles from a building site could share in a dream and make possible the reality of a vision of this pioneer parish in Spokane Falls as they built what was to be not just a church but also a Cathedral.

When Father Verhagen was assigned as the first rector in 1902, his great dream was to build upon the outstanding work of Jesuit missionaries who had shepherded the congregation from its humble beginnings in 1889 as St. Joseph's Church on Main and Bernard. The completion of this phase of Cathedral Campaign '90s was a milestone in the on-going history of a great Church. The generosity of our donors had made it happen.

Now that the windows have been covered and restored, it is an excellent time to view the completed project both from the exterior and the interior.

Let's begin with the outside. The five kinds if semi-translucent storm glass that once covered all the windows have been removed. In their place are custom-fit Lexan frames that transform each window into an extraordinary experience of light that passes from inside the Church to the outside in a breathtaking explosion of vibrant color. This could not have happened with the old covering that did not allow one to see the intricate, lacy patterns of the leaded pieces coming together to diffuse the light. Now at night, the Cathedral is truly a glass storybook of Biblical scenes that trace our religious heritage and celebrate our faith.

The windows from an interior view have also been transformed with the removal of the black shellac that years ago had been applied to "tone down" the light coming into the Church. The true purity of color is once more evident as we see the details in glass that had been hidden--the roses at Mary's feet in the Titular window of Our Lady of Lourdes, the gilded wings of angels, the extraordinary detailing in the faces of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, in the expressions of the bride and groom at Cana, in the features of the evangelists, prophets and doctors of the Church that all look upon us as we tour the Cathedral's windows on this web-site. Share your tour with children just as you share your faith. See how their eyes register a new understanding of their Bible lessons.

This is what religious art was meant to do, to draw our souls closer to God, to fill our hearts with His Love and our minds with the mystery of truth as our vision is illuminated by the work of the artist. Our windows indeed fulfill that purpose!