Bene Award

Chapel Cross

9' tall, fabricated from hand-carved mahogany. Ruby dalle glass is attached with ebony pegs. Copper forms the vine in the center and lines the four lily blooms. Ruby cabochon glass forms the fruit. Imagery in the cross coordinates with imagery in the stained glass behind the cross. 

Location: Calkins Chapel, Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church 
www.mdpc.org 
Artist/Studio: Stephen A. Wilson / Stephen Wilson Stained Glass 
www.stephenwilsonstainedglass.com 
Architect/Firm: William Merriman / Merriman Holt Architects 
www.merrimanholt.com 
Fabricator: Stephen Wilson and Ford Thomas 
www.fordthomasdesigns.com 
Photographer: Cynthia Ford Meyer 

The mahogany cross, suspended in front of existing stained glass, extends vine, wine, and chalice imagery already present in the glass, to present Christ through further combinations of symbols. Ruby dalle glass recalling Christ's wounds glows at the center and extremities of the cross. As symbols of resurrection, healing, and growth, the outer dalles bloom from carved lilies.  The red cabochons recall both grapes and drops of blood. At the foot of the cross, the stained glass imagery shows a chalice filled with the fruit of the vine, the blood of Christ. 
 

What do YOU Think?
Send an e-mail to ML Editor or post an entry on the ML Current Issue Discussion Board. (All submissions become the property of RPI and may be edited for length.)
SUBSCRIBE NOW!