3. Nave and Clerestory Windows
THE NAVE WINDOWS
These are the lower windows of the cathedral. The main space where the congregation sits is called the Nave. All except one of these stained-glass windows was made by the English firm of Charles Kempe, and are in a mediaeval style. They illustrate some of the saints of the English Church from ancient church history – for example Saint Augustine of Canterbury, Saint Hilda of Whitby and many others. We are helped to live more devout Christian lives as a result of thinking about their life stories and their examples of Christian faithfulness. A closer examination of the colourful window that depicts Saint Edward The Confessor repays the effort. This is the only one of our cathedral’s windows made in Adelaide, Australia by Montgomery and Grimbly. He was the godly king of England from 1042 – 1066 C.E. In his left arm he is shown holding the model of a building, Westminster Abbey. It reminds us that it was his vision that led to the founding of Westminster Abbey in London.
Some of our windows depict Christians who lived only 200 years ago. The two windows on each side of the cathedral closest to the font depict Church of England bishops who were martyred – Bishop John Coleridge Patteson who was speared to death in the Solomon Islands in 1871 aged 44 and Bishop James Hannington, martyred in Uganda in 1885 aged 38.
THE CLERESTORY WINDOWS
The clerestory is the upper space of the nave. These windows were designed, made and installed by Adelaide artist Cedar Prest between 1991 and 1993. They are inspired by the history of South Australia, the creation stories of its indigenous peoples, the natural environment, the cultivation of the land, as well as by the physical and spiritual journeys of its peoples. These windows illustrate and celebrate the hope and vision that underpinned the development of the state.
The third window in the clerestory on the lectern side of the aisle contains four lancets. A lancet window is a tall, narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. This window illustrates the rigours faced by the settlers in the new land, a land ravaged by bushfire and flood. In the left lancet smoke rises from an incinerated bush; in the right lancet, overhead clouds and lightning threaten further rain. (See Noah releasing the dove in the biblical flood in the right-hand trefoil at the top of the right-hand side lancets). In contrast, at the bottom of the lancets we see hope and new life – seeds sprout deep in the earth, tiny native plants emerge from the fire-cracked carapaces of woody fruits. It is a window about death and resurrection, a window where South Australian rural experience is juxtaposed with Christian teaching about new life.