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Creation Rose Window Silk Oblong, Washington National Cathedral, Washington D.C.
"...darkness was upon the face of the deep... and God said, Let there be light."
These words from the book of Genesis inspired the design of the West Rose Window, entitled "Creation Rose." An artistic celebration of light, the window's center consists of intense colors with a single piece of clear, diamond-bright glass at the core. A profusion of hues radiates outward, changing as sunlight shifts throughout the day. Cyclical change invites us to contemplate the continuous unfolding of Creation.
Conceived by Rowan LeCompte (b. 1925, American), and executed in collaboration with Dieter Goldkuhle (b. 1938, Germany), the window contains over 10,500 pieces of glass. Some of the pieces are antique, some are prisms, and still others are jewel-like chips. The natural translucence of this hand-screened silk captures the sparkling quality of the original glass and reminds us of the light within.
Washington National Cathedral, known formally as the Cathedral Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, was built as a "National House of Prayer for all People." It is a truly national church in which people of all faiths can come together to celebrate and mourn the events that shape a nation. Chartered by Congress in 1893, the Gothic-style Cathedral was completed in 1990. Flying buttresses and the force of gravity support 150,000 tons of hand-carved stone and magnificent stained glass in a timeless statement of faith.
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