ART AND WORSHIP.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 443, 27 February 1909, Page 14

ART AND WORSHIP.

GLORIES OF ST. CERARD'S CHURCH. UNIQUE STAINED GLASS AND PAINT- , ,:;. j.. ;..■ ings./ , .;/■ 'WINDOWS COST £1000. ■ The new Church of St." Gerard, erected by the/Redemptorist Fathers.in Hawker Street, is noConly a house of worship, it is also a treasure; house of art. It-is probable that there is not another church in the Dominion which; is so richly and artistically equipped with all the emblems of devotion. Tho grace-; ful design of the building, crowning its perfect site, has been already desoribed, and reference has been made to the magnificent picture from the Vatican, Gagliardi's "St. Gerard in/Ecstaoy,". the fourteen/paintings of the stations of the Cross,.and- other pictures. The beauty of the church has since been enhanced by a series of stained-glass windows imported'from the well-known firm of Hardman and Son, Birmingham, which Mr. Hardman says are the finest set he has ever sent out of England,, by .a magnificent altar-set with many marbles, and by: two statues of. angels, on either side of the altar, supporting candelabra. Tho- stained-glass-windows,. which cost not less than £1000, are ''probably the/finest in the Dominion.- ' The large nave window, of three panels, : represents the Crucifixion, and as a subsidiary subject the' Last Supper, • uniting the-> T two ideas of sacrament and sacrifice. The rich, purples,. deep reds, ■ and glorious; goldens of • this; picture, are not more,to be admired than, the/delicate refinement, of the -portraiture, the; various expressions of, the, different figures being beautifully conveyed.. The faco of Mary. Magdalen, who kneels at tho "foot of the. Cross, is eloquent of. grief andjlovo. This window is.:the,gift of the Bourke.family, of Kilbirnie. .The south -transept, window, of three panels, represents;, the transfiguration of Christ, the three. Apostles, Peter, James, and John,' being shown below the main figure, and Moses arid Elias on either side of Christ,.Moses holding the• Ten Command-; ments. : The window is given by Mr,. J.; P. Donnelly, of Hawke's Bay, who. is not a Roman Catholic... The opposite transept,windbw' shows/the Agony in' the .Garden; .iwith the three Apostles sleeping on the ground, and an angel with the cup of sorrow beside the praying' Christ. 'In these, two windows tho exaltation _ of/ tho divinity of -. Jesus,, by the manifestation of which ho prepared his Apostles;for: the humiliation of the Garden, is contrasted with that sad scene in Gethsemane. -The picture is the gift of. Mrs. M'Ardle, in memory of licr lato husband, Mr. Owen M'Ardle, , 'The /three; main., windows thus, render the .'three 'principal: events of, tho life of Christ, and.'in the' .words of the Very Rev.,' Father Clime, Superior of/.the Redemptorist Monastery; ore sermons, more eloquent than any that' can be' preached-'with the lips, in the. church, which they" adorn.''v Four quatrefoil windows, at the. head of. the church, represent angels bearing.the implements of the Passion. There,are;also six beautiful nave',windows.;/- Those on,the north side represent: St. Gerard Majella (erected by Mr. Keith Townsend, in memory of, his ■wifo),'.St.''Joseph' (erected'- by a client,of St. Joseph), arid St. Teresa (gift of Mr, and Mrs. George Lambert). .The nave windows oil the south side have for subjects St.-Pat-rick (given by, the H.A.C.B. / Society), the' -Virgin -appearing;: at, '.'Lourdes'/:,to littlo' •'■'Bernadette : . (the .'gift of. 'Miss C; ,'.J.; Bennett;, who' is not . a Roman .Catholic), and Saint Cecilia (erected .by- Mr. Monaghan, of Oriental Bay, in memory'.'of ■his lato wife).; On the, south side of the .•Saonstry/'is/a .window representing ■'St/ Francis of Sales,, erected .by, the Rcdemptor-, ist Fathers' to commoihofate His 'Grace 'Archbishop ißedwood,; St.// Francis, being ,his Griaco'sJcpatron. Opposite)that is a. window representing. St., Stephens/the first martyr, eiwted ;-jn. memory of the 'lato Father Stephen ITgooiii [)y\Mi.',{J.- ;S. L Swah.' Among .tho: beautiful pictures ,'vwhich' :adorn,'.the ohurch are a; fine.cbpjh'pf Andrea del Sartb's fanious .paintiiig; of, tho;.Holy ; Family, ; -given by'the ;fato,,Mr.::Al6'ySiiis;/Macdonaldi : : : aiHV> :copy of. the; well-known 'picture, ■ "Madonna"'di Carlo Dblci. '!■.;*■'■• ://'/'!;//-:;,:: '■:/-:.-;/

.The altar-fittimg,' /whichWas-'desigiied' by ■Mr.--Joh'n'-'.S:VSjvan-^.thc";;dmif«^t : ;-.-;:f6'r''.'tho' building.,: measu'resWl6ft.:. 4in : L . "bv'iOi't. ;'• 9in. and costV£sqoi ;-';3t -was. m'adevin Genoa;.., Italy, and erected, by. MeKre.'.HicltmotVSahd-Soii, Dominion .-marble -works; -.Tho. steps, of. the prcdellaT^p'r..platform', on' "wliich the•.' 'altar .stands, 'are: of .finest' Carrara marble, ari'd'-'the is of.-oak, cedar, and waluirt, arranged in; ; paTquetry.: The plinth and/bases under; tlieValtar;'proper, with..its.columns, represent thoifiiie&V of. the Devonshire marbles, which. taKo,. a polish like. jasper. ■, Tho four columns supp6rting:.the laltar- table areof. Gahray green, marble;' the- two" columns for the^tabernacle,door are 1 of .jasper,-, the -beautiful' colours, of: which are .'produced by oxido,of,iron, the.four cluster,columns supporting -the baldaohino, ! or:'structuro in form of a' canopy over the altar,' are 1 of Genoa green marble,. and the ten': jewels' of tilie tabernacle;:door;are of the, substance as, Blue ; John "spa, •'• which ...is ..found-. in.'Derby.shire, and famous' on account, of' its' transparent. colour.. .The. altar,.and baldachino are of pentelikon statuary, which-, is -how largely used for ecclesiastical purposes, being very.deppe of quality and capable oftakinga , very, high polish; The. altar table weighs 22 Vcn-t., -the,front of tho altar nearly a ton, and -jihe,total weight of. the. altar-fitting is >7 tons.- r: '.; '.•;"•, ■;; ••■" . '•-., i Two 'statues of. angels, with electrical candelabra, ' stand on either. side of, the' altar. Their v<:ry pedestals,. of various beautiful marbles,,.\cost:£so each. -The bases are of Devonshire marble, the shafts, or .'columns' ,6f ; Galwa'y green, andyband and .'caps' of Sicwia. -The pedestals,: without .the statues are sft. 3ft. high., . ■■:■.- .; ■■;,- .. The altdr and windows will be. unveiled by his. Grace: Archbishop '■ 'Redwood >'' to-morrow morning. High, Mass will be celebrated at 10 o'clock by the Very Rev. Father Kech 8.A., S.M., rector of St. Patrick's College. His Grace the Archbishop will preside, and the R«v. Father ;M'Carthy, S.M., of St Patrick's College,will preach. Thomusicwill be under the able direction of Mr. Frank Oakes. Father M'Carthy will also preach at vespers;