Space > Tour > Stained Glass Windows
Stained Glass Windows
As you look at the stained glass windows behind the altar, try to imagine that in the early years they would have been relatively plain, with some coloured glass around the margins.
The first memorial window was probably installed in the late 19th or early 20th century. The rest of the windows in the church were installed between 1906 and 1929. Most were produced by N.T. Lyon Co., a Toronto firm which began in the 1880s.
The numbers on the sketch above will help you identify the location of the windows as they are being described below. Enjoy!
Jesus on the Road to Emmaus (1)
This is a depiction of Christ on the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-29). The window is unsigned and undated but is recognizable as Lyon work of the early years of the twentieth century and is close in style to windows of the period around 1910. |
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Left Window, Dedicated to the Memory of Emily Smith (2)
This window is unsigned and undated but is recognizable as the oldest stained glass window in the building. In the pointed arch at the top is a star of David with the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. Below are three scenes from scripture. Left: Christ Receiving and Blessing Children Centre: Christ in the House of Mary and Martha Right: The Good Samaritan |
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Right Window, Dedicated to the Memory of Letitia Helen Cooke (3)
At the top of the window is a half length figure of an angel holding a scroll or banderole bearing the text "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord" (Revelation 14.:13). Below are three distinct subjects: Left: A Woman Feeding the Poor from a Basket, depicting the charity of Dorcas (Acts 9:36) Centre: Christ with the Little Children ("Suffer little children to come unto me") Right: A Woman Draping an Old Man with a Length of Cloth ("Naked and ye clothed me." |
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West Transept (4)
All of these sections form an elaborate World War 1 Memorial Window.
Centre Top At the very top in the centre is an angel holding a shield with the figure of a lamb. Below is a banderole with the inscription "SACRIFICE". Just below that are two shields with the instruments of the Passion: a crown of thorns and crossed scourges. |
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| Top Left | Top Centre | Top Right |
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At the top is a half-length figure of an angel with a shield with the motif of a sword and a banderole bearing the word "FORTITUDE". Below is a depiction of Christ carrying the Cross of Calvary, surrounded by Roman soldiers. |
In the centre is the depiction of the empty cross after the Crucifixion. | At the top is a half-length figure of an angel holding a white shield bearing a red cross, while directly underneath is a banderole with the inscription "MERCY". Below is a depiction of the fainting virgin, supported by attendant figures and an inscription band with the words "By thy death and burial". |
Bottom At the bottom are three windows containing figures in military uniforms. | ||
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| The Crucifixion showing a soldier with a rifle falling at the foot of the cross. | An infantryman with bandaged head trailing a rifle in his left hand and holding the Canadian Red Ensign in his right. | A Red Cross worker supports a wounded soldier and offers him a drink from a canteen. To the right in the background is the figure of Christ. |
East Transept (5)
All of the glass in the East Transept is typical N. T. Lyon work of the 1920s, based on traditional Lyon designs but with a degree of simplification and a slight flattening of form typical of the Lyon style as it had evolved into the post World War I era.
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At the top is a half-length angel figure bearing a banderole on which is the word "FAITH". Below is the Nativity. |
At the top is an angel, half-length, with a banderole with the inscription "HOPE". Below are two mouchettes containing a baptismal font (left) and a chalice (right). Below is a depiction of the Sermon on the Mount. |
At the top is a half-length angel with the inscription "CHARITY". Below is a depiction of Christ in the Temple as a boy aged 12. |
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| St. John the Evangelist, holding a book and a chalice. | Christ as the Good Shepherd. | St. Peter holding a book in his right hand and two keys in his left. |
West Wall Towards the Back of the Worship Space (6 & 7)
| Pair of Windows Closer to the West Transept (6) | |
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The Calling of Peter and Andrew with the disciples shown among their boats and nets. The window is signed and dated in the lower right corner "N. T. Lyon Co. Toronto 1923". |
A depiction of Christ and the Rich Young Ruler (Luke 18:18-25). The window is signed and dated "N. T. Lyon Co. Toronto 1922". |
| Pair of Windows Closer to the Back of the Worship Space (7) | |
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A depiction of Christ and the woman at the well (John 4:7). In the lower right corner is a black shield with the name of the N. T. Lyon firm and the date 1923. |
Based on Luke 12:27 "Consider the lilies how they grow", this window shows the Holy Family with Jesus as an adult pointing to a group of lilies. To the far right are Mary and Joseph. In the lower right corner is the shield of the N. T. Lyon firm and the inscription and date "N. T. Lyon Co. Toronto 1923". |
East Wall Towards the Back of the Worship Space (8 & 9)
Pair of Windows Closer to the Back of the Worship Space (8) This window is by the Toronto firm of Robert McCausland and is the only stained glass window in the Church of the Redeemer which is not by the firm of N. T. Lyon. |
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| The subject is Easter Morning and shows the three Marys who have arrived at the tomb. | The angel, seated at the empty tomb, announces the Resurrection. In the lower right corner of the right light of the window is the inscribed name of the McCausland studios, Toronto, and the date 1927. |
| Pair of Windows Closer to the East Transept (9) | |
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A depiction of Christ in the house of Martha and Mary. To the right in the lower corner is the signature and date "N. T. Lyon Toronto 1925". |
A depiction of Christ and the Centurion. The signature and date "N. T. Lyon Co. Toronto 1925" appear in the lower right hand corner. |
Upper Level, South Face
The stained glass windows seen from the outside on Bloor Street were once fully visible from the body of the church. Currently they are now only visible from the upper level not generally open to the public.
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St. Matthew At the bottom is the N. T. Lyon mark and the date 1926. |
The Ascension of Christ. The window is signed and dated in the lower right hand corner "N. T. Lyon Co. Toronto". |
Likely St. Paul, holding a sword and a scroll. This window is signed and dated in the lower right hand corner "N. T. Lyon Co. Toronto 1926". |
Based on writings of Corey Keeble in the 1980s.