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Published on 04/20/1998 All articles from this issue

Christ Church celebrates its windows from Chartres

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By Joanne Griffith Domingue / Town Crier Staff Writer

When the Loma Prieta Earthquake collapsed buildings and shattered glass from San Francisco to Watsonville in October 1989, Sally Palmer had but one thing in mind: the recently installed 10 tons of new stained glass windows at her Los Altos church.

She rushed to Christ Episcopal Church on Border Road, holding her breath, afraid of what she might find.

"The windows held strong," she said, wonder and relief in her voice.

The windows, designed by a craftsman from Chartres, France, and installed in 1986, today still hold strong.

Members of the church want to share these beautiful windows with the community. The public is invited to a free sound and light program, "a celebration of art and music," at 3 p.m. this Sunday, in the church sanctuary. In between narrative descriptions by Palmer, who will be describing the window panels, organist Philip Manwell will play works that reflect the stories and colors of the windows.

Following the program, members of the church will serve tea in the Parish Hall.

"We have an artistic treasure here," said Kay Millar, a Los Altos resident and senior warden at the church.

The windows began as a dream in the 1980s. Church members raised $400,000 for the windows that cost $150,000, with the balance going for mission projects in the diocese.

"The windows were not just for our own glorification, but for outreach as well," Millar said.

The four panels of windows that line the sanctuary walls, "make all the difference in the worship space," said the Rev. Morgan Silbaugh. The space comes "alive," he said, with the sparkle from the windows.

Even on a rainy day, with low light, the windows glow and fill the worship space with color and richness.

The church chose a French craftsman, Gabriel Loire of Chartres, France, to design the windows. He was known in California for his great rose window at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco.

He spent a year in California designing the windows, which are four 12 by 24-foot panels. He was "fascinated by the trees," Palmer said, and used them as his theme.

Each panel represents a season of the year and a season of life. Different shades of blue suggest water and sky. Reds, yellows and plums bring power and passion to the design.

"The first general impression is more or less 'expressionist,'" Loire wrote. "No single detail should dominate the rest. Rather, an atmosphere of peace and joy should suffuse the whole."

The church is located at 1040 Border Road in Los Altos. The concert and presentation, followed by tea, is free. The church also offers self-guided tours of the windows, by appointment. Printed guides are available. For more information, call 948-2151.