|
Our Twelve Windows
From dawn to dusk, in the darkest hour as well as in the brightest;
the House of God is the constant still-point in an ever-changing world of rush and change.
Standing in St Margaret's, you are surrounded by twelve beautiful stained glass windows depicting saints from the past. With the clock-style aerial view of the church below, you can view all twelve.
| Choose a window:
|
Close up:
 |
|
 |
About St Francis of Assisi:
Born in 1181 at Assisi, Umbria, Italy, Francis Bernardone was the son of a rich cloth merchant. He led a misspent youth, was a street brawler and some-time soldier. During an imprisonment in Perugia, he had a conversion experience, including a reported message from Christ calling him to leave this worldly life. Upon release, Francis began taking his religion seriously.
He took the Gospels as the rule of his life, and Jesus Christ as his literal example. He dressed in rough clothes, begged for his sustenance, and preached purity and peace. He visited hospitals, served the sick, preached in the streets, and took all men and women as siblings. He began to attract followers in 1209, and with papal blessing, founded the Franciscans. In 1212 Clare of Assisi became his spiritual student, which led to the founding of the Poor Clares. He visited and preached to the Saracens, composed songs and hymns to God and nature, lived with animals, worked with his hands, cared for lepers, cleaned churches, and sent food to thieves. In 1221 he resigned direction of the Franciscans.
While in meditation on Mount Alvernia in the Apennines in September 1224, Francis received the stigmata, which periodically bled during the remaining two years of his life. He died on 4th October 1226 at Portiuncula, Italy, and was canonized two years later by Pope Gregory IX.
Next >>
|
Windows
