International Women's Day

Today is International Women's Day, so I thought I'd share the main stained glass window from the church I attend. This is the stained glass behind the alter - the one everyone sees, which dominates the building. The central piece is the story of Mary and Martha, where Martha complains her sister is not helping with the chores, and Jesus states that Mary has as much right to sit at his feet and listen as she has to do the chores. In the Bible, this is a radical passage. Here, women are allowed to be a follower, rather than an extra who simply looks after the men.

On either side, women also feature in both images, and there is a progression of the woman at the bottom of each gradually rising. I think if we were to add some more modern panels to the right - the woman would now be standing.

In my experience, this altarpiece is rare. Many stained glass windows focus on the saints and men. Very few every show women, so its refreshing to find one where women are not just present, but at the heart of everything. 

Hope you all have a good day.