Workers were thrilled to discover a beautiful section of intact stained glass from the Christ Church Cathedral’s Rose Window. It depicts the head of one of the heavenly hierarchy of angels and measures about 13cm by 12cm.
Heritage expert Jenny May says this is one of the largest intact pieces of the Rose Window recovered to date, which makes it quite special.
“The head of the angel would have been surrounded by a lead border and dislodged during the June 2011 earthquake. The team were lucky to find this piece,” Ms May says.
The piece was found lodged between the internal and external wall layers, under the Rose Window and uncovered as part of recent heritage protection works.
The angel can be seen in the image of the Rose Window below (at about 7 o’clock, click onto the image for a clearer view). Designed by architect Benjamin Mountfort, the Rose Window contained more than 4000 pieces of glass and measured 7.5 meters in diameter.
It is being reinstated as part of the Christ Church Cathedral project.
