Easter Window rises at
Bridgewater's Holy Trinity Church
in Nova Scotia

Bridgewater's Holy Trinity Anglican Church is celebrating the season with the restoration of their four altar windows, including this, the Easter Window. Rev. John Clarke gives a hand to Blair Corkum of Sattler Stained Glass Studios in West LaHave. Mr. Corkum has worked with stained glass for over seven years including three years apprenticing. ( more... )

Easter Window rises at Holy Trinity church
Jodie Turner
jturner@lighthouse.ns.ca

Bridgewater - Restoration has begun on Holy Trinity Anglican's stained glass windows. After Rev. John Clarke noticed the four altar windows were buckling, he notified the property committee. Turns out, several windows in the municipally registered heritage site needed restoring. "The congregation realized quickly and easily something had to be done," he says. At the same time, there was concern the windows wouldn't survive the process. Rev. Clarke has since come to understand that stained glass is much stronger than most people think. The congregation decided to start with the four front windows, continuing as fundraising proceeds. The windows celebrate the foundation of Christianity: Nativity, or the birth of Jesus; His cricifixion; His resurrection or rising from the dead and ascension or rising to heaven. After Christmas, Norbert Sattler of Stained Glass Studios removed the windows. Rev. Clarke was surprised to learn there were broken pieces, now repaired. Each window's three panels are being kept in place by resting on hidden steel bars.

Stained glass windows are made with coloured glass upon which scenes are painted. Mr. Sattler says Holy Trinity's altar windows were crafted in England during the 19th century. He's impressed with their fine detail. They're made from mouth blown glass which gives them a "much, much" nicer look. "The painting is smooth, more detailed". Mouth blown glass offers the artist thousands of colors - Mr. Sattler has 40 different shades of red alone. "It makes a big difference when you want to work artistically." The lead, he found, was in good shape, although some of the other windows will need re-leading. Some soldering was done and the windows were cleaned. "You have to do it very carefully," he notes. If the original painting was not properly done, it may not survive the washing. "It was in excellent condition." Mr. Sattler has been based in West LaHave for 10 years. He has dedicated 34 years to his art, starting at the age of 16. "Luckily," he recalls, "there was a studio in my home town." His windows have gone across Canada, the United States and Germany. He's worked for congregations in Chicago, Detroit, Hawaii and Ohio which called for an impressive 3,000 square feet of stained glass windows.

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