Stained Glass Windows at the Chapel of De La Salle at Manhattan College

By Pat Hartnett Stone

Stained Glass Windows at the Chapel of De La Salle at Manhattan College

In 2016, The Life and Work of Saint John Baptist de La Salle stained glass windows were installed in the Chapel of De La Salle and His Brothers, the centerpiece of the Manhattan University campus. The collection replaced the existing windows that line the aisles of the Chapel, and serve as a virtual narrative recounting the life of the founder. Their beauty brings exterior light and reflected color into the interior walls.

The windows guide viewers as they move through the Chapel to visualize moments in the Saint’s life — from his childhood in Reims, to the vow he took with his Brothers, to his death in Rouen and his glorification in heaven, where he is welcomed by Christ and acknowledged as a great teacher by Saint Ignatius Loyola.

Properly preserved on the Manhattan University campus, the windows will carry the Lasallian spirit forward to future generations.

The De La Salle stained glass windows greatly expand educational opportunities at Manhattan University and underscore its Lasallian heritage.

They provide a narrative depicting several key moments in the life of the Saint and educate viewers, in a visual and highly artistic way, on key moments in his life and the history of the time.
The windows, in combination with the Chapel’s altar and mural, provide effective teaching opportunities for formal courses, where they greatly enrich class discussions. They also serve as a conversation piece during campus events, such as convocations, accepted students days and guided tours.

Saint Gregory the Great recognized how the visual can supplement the verbal when trying to reach a much larger audience because it is generally recognized that seeing is believing. We continue to learn in special ways from visual, as well as verbal texts, and that works of art, such as the De La Salle stained glass windows, can speak to the heart in ways that words alone cannot.

For more information about the Windows go to:
https://inside.manhattan.edu/…/lasall…/windows/index.php