Years ago I saw these windows above the altar in a church which had been stripped of its decoration in the 1970’s, as part of a renovation. The church at that time was all one color and the altar space was a soaring emptiness, with beautiful windows. When I realized what the windows portrayed I was enchanted.

Since that time, the church has been repainted and regilded, with beautiful decorations on the ceiling, distinctly reminding the viewer that this place is a gateway to heaven. The rest of the walls have been decorated as well.

This first window is quite clearly Abraham. You can see the ram caught in the thicket in the lower right of the central picture. The angel has arrived just in time.

Figuring out this next window took some careful consideration. There’s a story about King David eating sacred bread from the sanctuary, but he simply took it. These loaves are being offered, along with wine. Eventually I realized that this is Melchizedek, King of Salem, offering bread and wine to Abram, whose name has not yet been changed to Abraham. Abram is fresh from defeating the kings who took Lot, his relative, prisoner.

Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, ¹⁹ and he blessed Abram, saying,

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
    Creator of heaven and earth.

Genesis 14:18-19

In fact these two windows come straight out of the Eucharistic prayer that was said daily at the altar below. We now say it this way.

Be pleased to look upon these offerings
with a serene and kindly countenance,
and to accept them,
as once you were pleased to accept
the gifts of your servant, Abel the Just,
the sacrifice of Abraham, our father in faith,
and the offering of your high priest, Melchizedek,
a holy sacrifice, a spotless victim.

Eucharistic Prayer #1, the Roman Canon.

Details from the side windows above the altar, next to Abram and Melchizedek, show the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. I can’t fully straighten out these pictures.

It’s very difficult to take pictures of windows like this, shooting from outside the sanctuary, and looking up and up and up. The pictures are a little fuzzy as a consequence. My thanks to the photographer who took them for me.

Windows from Visitation Church (Saint Isidore cluster) in Stacyville, Iowa.