Tower, North-East (not visible from the pews)
View of the Tower, North-East.
St Paul, lower left, and St. Athanasius, lower right. At the top of the tower, early reformers of the church John Wycliffe, upper left, and Martin Luther, upper right.
St. Paul, Detail, Tower
St. Paul holds a palm tree symbolizing Christ's resurrection and Paul's emphasis on this doctrine. The palm was a traditional symbol of victory, Christ's victory over sin and death. Christ triumphantly rode into Jerusalem and the people took branches of palm and shouted "Hosanna!" in John 12:12-13.
Detail, St. Paul, Tower.
Dove and Flame, top, which represents Pentecost. The dove, an ancient symbol of purity and peace, was sent out of the ark by Noah to show that God had made peace with humankind (Genesis 8). Dalmatic and Stones represent the church's first martyr, St. Stephen. A dalmatic is a vestment worn by a deacon or bishop. St. Stephen was the first Christian deacon and the first of the martyrs for the Faith as detailed in Acts 6 & 7. The stone is a symbol of firmness and is an attribute of St. Stephen who was stoned to death.
Detail, St. Paul, Tower
The Dove is the symbol of the Holy Spirit and first appears at the baptism of Christ (John I:32.)
St. Athanasius, Tower.
St. Athanasius holds an Equilateral Triangle, three equal parts joined into one, representing his defense of the doctrine of the Trinity.
Detail, St. Athanasius, Tower.
Model of the Church representing St. Augustine. Augustine became Bishop of Hippo, in Africa in the fifth century. He had a tremendous influence on the religion (represented by the torch) through his famous literary work the Confessions as well as through his spiritual example.
Top of the Tower.
Left, John Wycliffe, holding a manuscript. Wycliffe (or Wyclif) lived from 1320-1384 and was part of the pre-Lutheran reform movement. Wycliffe believed that the Bible should be available in English and prepared two complete translations in the days before the printing press. Right, Martin Luther holds a pen representing his 95 Theses and the need for the Reformation of the church. In 1517, Luther spearheaded the Protestant Reformation in Germany against the supremacy of the Pope.
Detail, top of the Tower.
John Wycliffe seen with the Morning Star, a representation of the dawn of the Reformation which he spearheaded, and the Seven-fold Flame representing the gifts of the Spirit. The Ship is symbolic of the Church of Christ which floats safely as the ark of Noah did.
St. Ambrose compares the Church to a ship and the Cross to a ship's mast. The ship also recalls the Christ's miracle on the Sea of Galilee when he calmed the waters and saved the apostles from capsizing.