Hand-crafted in the beautiful harbour village of St Aubin in the island of Jersey, this piece is a special commission, depicting the Prisoner of Conscience window in Salisbury Cathedral in Wiltshire, England..

The Trinity Chapel was the first part of the cathedral to be completed. It was consecrated in 1225. Its location is behind the altar, at the east end of the cathedral. The Prisoner of Conscience window was commissioned in the late 1970s, 'reflecting a Christian response to worldwide violence and injustice'.

Here is an interesting article about the window, as published by the New York Times on 22nd February 1981:

The five arched windows pull at your eyes the instant you walk into Salisbury Cathedral, for the intense cobalt blue of the sun-backed stained glass is a beacon of light among the soaring but stark gray stones of the cathedral's vaults. This burst of glory is something new in the ancient building; the glass was installed only last May. Even those who have visited Salisbury many times will want to return to see the innovation.

The pointed Gothic lancets, as the tall and somewhat narrow windows are called, together constitute the cathedral's ''Prisoners of Conscience Window.'' The panels depict both 20th-century prisoners of conscience and the trial and crucifixion of Jesus, who is represented as a first-century prisoner of conscience. To the Very Rev. Sydney H. Evans, Dean of the Cathedral, who commissioned the windows and supervised their installation, they represent, ''the call of a man to a higher power, to the universal, uttered in a terrible moment of doubt and loneliness.''

The windows were made in Chartres, that most medieval of French cities, because, Dean Evans said in a recent interview, he believed ''the tradition of creating great blazes of color in back of darkened churches came from Chartres.'' They were commissioned in March 1979 and delivered to the cathedral in this southwestern market city the following year.

The windows were designed and cut by Gabriel Loire, of Chartres, from glass selected by his son, Jacques. (Their signatures appear in the bottom-left panel of the center lancet.) To Dean Evans, the fact that the windows were created by Roman Catholic artists for installation in a Church of England cathedral - and then unveiled by the violinist Yehudi Menuhin, a Jew -made them ''a truly universal effort.'' Of his selection of Mr. Menuhin to unveil them, Dean Evans said, ''He is the nearest to a universal man I know.''

The windows are housed in Trinity Chapel, built in 1221 and the oldest part of the cathedral. (The building was completed and consecrated in 1258.) They replace lancets of translucent glass that had, in turn, replaced windows destroyed by bombing in World War II.

Dean Evans noted that the interior of Salisbury Cathedral ''for many centuries was filled with color, bright color designs and religious symbols painted on the limestone.'' These faded, were restored in 1780 and then faded again because of the dampness and coldness of the stone. In 1870, colorful red, yellow and blue decorations were painted on the ceilings over the choir at the center of the church. These remain, though they, too, have faded. When Dean Evans came to the cathedral three years ago, what was left of the decorations became his inspiration to bring more color and light into the church.

The Prisoners of Conscience Window does indeed bring light and color -most notably blue - into the church. ''There can be no doubt,'' Dean Evans said, ''that Gabriel Loire truly expresses the medieval discovery of the intrinsic power of blue glass when we observe the ways in which he has used blue in the window.'' Though touches of red, yellow and green can be seen in the five lancets, the overwhelming effect of the windows is deep and brilliant cobalt.

The color, Dean Evans said, came before the theme. ''We wanted blue, we wanted Chartres blue, but what should our window say?'' It was decided by a committee headed by Right Rev. George Reindorp, Bishop of Salisbury, that the window should in some way be a statement about ''man's search for a way to live in which necessary social and political organizations can be made to minister to him, not overwhelm him.''

Click here to read this in full.

VitrailSalisburyCathedral is hand-made in Jersey using materials including silver finish metal and gilding wax. Mounted in a silver finish wooden frame. The framed piece measures 32.2cm x 24.7cm.

For more information about Salisbury Cathedral, click here.

How to own this piece

Thank you for viewing my work.  This website is currently a gallery to view items only.  Selected pieces are available to view and purchase from the Harbour Gallery, St Aubin, Jersey.  If you would like to order items, please contact me at tim@staubinstudio.com.

Much of my work is made as special order commissions. Please contact me if you have an idea you would like brought to life.

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Images of Salisbury Cathedral courtesy of the following:

• Wikipedia - about Salisbury Cathedral

• Visit Wiltshire - Salisbury Cathedral and the Magna Carta

• Tours of Salisbury Cathedral

• Salisbury Cathedral’s stained glass windows