Upside-Down Turned Right-Side Up

BY ERIK GUZMAN

More than 50 stained-glass windows adorn the Cathedral Church of St. Luke in downtown Orlando. Until recently, one of them was installed upside down.

High above the altar, over the right shoulder of a large, gravity-defying wood carving of Jesus, within a stained-glass window depicting a bearded figure holding the Ten MOSES Commandments, a single pane of colored glass read, “ .” Some say there’s a tradition in Gothic church construction that compelled builders to intentionally introduce a minor imperfection as a visual illustration that only God is perfect. However, when Anne Michels, cathedral administrator, historian and archivist for the Cathedral Church of St. Luke, researched Gothic architecture and church building, she found the exact opposite to be true. According to Michels, “They wanted everything in that church to be as beautiful and perfect as possible, because God is worthy of having our finest and our best. In no way would they have ever purposely done something imperfect.” The oldest stained-glass window at the cathedral dates back to the late 1880s to early 1890s. Most of the windows were designed and fabricated by Willet Hauser Architectural Glass, including the one with the upside-down panel. That Moses window was placed up in the “clear story” – the official term for the upper level of the church – in 1987. “I don’t know exactly when people first noticed that the panel was installed upside down,” said Michels, “but what I heard when I got here was kind of a legend that had developed about that window, that the panel was purposely installed upside down.” In addition to her research of Gothic architecture, Michels also contacted Willet studio. “I sent them a picture and asked them, ‘Does that ever happen? Do you think that panel was installed upside down on purpose?’ They were horrified and said, ‘Absolutely not!’” So, while Michels wasn’t sure who did the actual installation, it was probably just a mistake. In the fall of 2019, the Cathedral Church of St. Luke kicked off its ongoing Light, Legacy, Love capital campaign to raise funds to preserve the historic cathedral. Donations have allowed for the replacement and resealing of the exterior protective coverings over the stained-glass windows, and in conjunction with that work, the righting of the upside-down panel. “The old coverings had been there for at least 30 years, and they had gotten very, very cloudy, very dull,” Michels explained. “This was preventing the natural light from coming through the windows, and now with the clear coverings and the sunlight hitting the glass, we see beautiful colors coming through the windows again, and it’s a lot lighter inside the church.”

For those interested in visiting the Cathedral Church of St. Luke to experience the multicolored light now streaming through the stained glass, Michels extends an invitation to services on Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Go to ccslorlando.org for service times and more information.

Visitors and parishioners might just hear a sermon illustration about the grace of God that references the upside-down Moses turned right-side up. After all, the good news of the gospel is that Jesus’ death and resurrection make it possible for everyone – with all of our imperfections flying in the face of the Ten Commandments – to dwell in the house of the Lord forever. By faith, we have been granted the perfection of Jesus himself, and as we read in 1 John 3:2:

“Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.”