Annemiekpunt.nl > The New Church in Delft > Artistic -
The church window depicts the raising of Jairus’ daughter. Hands, face and a butterfly are key elements of the design. The window offers several ‘viewing layers’, each of which appeals to the individual viewer. After all, there is so much more to see than just a hand, face or butterfly.
Parts of the church window suggest a cocoon, butterfly wings, various interwoven faces and a hand at the bottom that points the child towards the light…
By not working out everything in detail, the viewer’s imagination is constantly stimulated, resulting in a window that will continue to intrigue for years to come, no matter from which angle it is viewed (somewhat like a child looking at the clouds and continuously discovering new shapes and figures).
It is as if a new window is ‘reborn’ with every new day. Depending on the season, weather and time of day, different elements emerge each time as a result of changing angles of incidences of light rays.
The viewer’s mood is also reflected in the church window and affects their perception of the representation. In the evening, when the church is illuminated from the inside, the playful interplay of lines can clearly be seen from the outside, resulting in a line pattern that links up with the other church windows.
Lucas 8: 40-56: “(…) and having grasped her hand, He called, saying, ‘Child, arise.’ Then her spirit returned.” The face of Jairus’ daughter can easily be distinguished and symbolises ‘life’, resurrection, the future and youth. Marcus 5: 21-43: “(…) My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. (…).” And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.
At the top is a hand, representing Jesus laying hands. The hands also symbolise the security and safety offered by Jesus; in other words, Jairus’ daughter is safe in Jesus’ hands. Matthew 9: 18-26: “(…) My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. (…).” The butterfly symbolises the resurrection of Jairus’ daughter, from which the future takes shape. The design carefully takes into account the various angles of incidences of light and is befitting the church’s existing light architecture.
A condition for the competition was that the design depict the raising of Jairus’ daughter. The following two poems tell the story of the resurrection of Jairus’ daughter.
Jairus’ daughter Ida Gerhardt
They looked at her in astonishment,
the girl who had arisen again.
As if she were only sleeping.
He grasped hold of her hand.
The clamour of grief, the cry of lament,
the disturbance was no longer.
Quiet now: He dictates simply that
bread be placed before her.
-That which is a miracle of language
I read a hundred times as a child
and knew: “and at night there was a party,
attended by friends.”
There where death had entrenched itself
they danced to the silver flute.
Ed. Hoornik
I am the young daughter of Jairus,
Lying here on a bier that is much too large.
Death is in my eyes and hair,
which, now that it has lost its curl, is without style.
I miss my doll, who, now she is no longer here,
sleeps when I sleep, fingers intertwined.
I know that two and two makes four,
but now that I am dead, this is no longer true.
Why just now did I have such sorrow?
A man, a magician, was to come
and make me better, but he never came.
the people on the roof and in the trees
went home,
but I continued to dream of him.
Tomorrow I’ll be the first to see him.
JAIRUS’ DAUGHTER
Jairus had a daughter,
And all who saw her,
Thought she had died
And came to lament her death.
But Jesus said: “Go, she Sleeps”
And he touched her.
Sleeping is not till death,
Sleeping is waiting for You,
Because when Your voice speaks to us,
We see and know You.
When Jesus said: “Damsel, I say unto thee, arise”,
She stood up on her feet,
Because, once again, life returns,
To those who meet Jesus.
Those, whom Jesus’ hand has resurrected,
May walk in the light.
Sleeping is not till death,
Sleeping is waiting for You,
Because when Your voice speaks to us,
We see and know You.
Lord, treat us like this little daughter
- When people mourn,
Believing we have died -
Waiting, while trusting in you.
Resurrect us from our graves.
And eat of your bread.
Sleeping is not till death,
Sleeping is waiting for You,
Waiting until Thou speak to us,
Waiting to see you.
Muus Jacobse