The North Clerestory Windows: The Liturgy of the Hours
2. Lauds
All of the canonical hours have as their purpose the praise of God; but Lauds, the Church’s official morning prayer, in its particular commemoration of our Lord’s Resurrection, has become the hour of praise par excellence.
In the lower-left portion of this window, the “Benedictus,” from the song of Zachary, salutes the Lord as the dawn from on high and sets the theme for the symbolism to follow. All motion in the window seems to rise from the form of the “Benedictus” and to culminate triumphantly at the very top of the window in the Chi-Rho, the symbol of Christ. Within this area are three figures seated beneath a star, a scene reminiscent of Zachary’s prophecy: “A dawning light from on high will visit us to shine on those who sit in darkness.” The shell, the suggestion of water and the horn – also located in this same form – recall St. John the Baptist and his mission in proclaiming the coming of Christ. In the lower-right corner, the figure of the Ch-Rho is shown rising from a gaping tomb; from here the eye is immediately led back to the Chi-Rho at the top of the window along a path strewn with palm branches, symbols of Christ’s victory over death. The sun, another symbol of the Resurrection, appears in the upper left-hand portion of the window. All in all, a three-fold resurrection is suggested: first, the resurrection of Christ as described; secondly, a daily spiritual resurrection to a life of grace suggested by the monastic bells –located just below the figure of the sun; and thirdly, a daily resurrection of nature symbolized by the birds leaving their nests and the sunflowers bending toward the sun. |
