St. John's Windows, Part 2

Here's another set of stained glass windows from St. John's Lutheran Church in the West Village. These 19th century German-made beauties are in the Rector's Study, located in the Parish House. Often, these little windows, tucked away in studies, side chapels and sacristies, are more beautiful than the larger windows located in the church itself. Indeed, I've been in so many churches here and in England that seem to reflect this pattern, with the smallest windows serving as little gem-like icons set aside in the quietest places. Although one could make an argument against such windows along the lines of "graven images" and "idolatry," many of these tiny windows could serve as focal points for a devotional discipline or meditative moment (a role they've often played).