Stained glass windows of Druid Hills Presbyterian

Things to Do

Take a quick visual tour of the stained glass windows of Druid Hills Presbyterian Church on Ponce de Leon Avenue, created by the famous Willet Studios of Philadelphia.

Onto the big windows. Our tour has cheated a bit and started with the smaller windows, but this window is where a viewer is truly supposed to start "reading" the story. We're showing only details from those windows here--you'll have to visit the church to see them in full. This window tells the Biblical creation story from Genesis, with the animals created on the left and Adam and Eve standing in the Garden of Eden on the right. (PETE CORSON / PCORSON@AJC.COM)

The stained glass windows of Druid Hills Presbyterian Church depict much more than just Bibilical stories. You'll find thinkers, artists, hidden symbols and even some pagan images. Even if you've never been to the church, you've probably seen it -- it's the one on Ponce de Leon Avenue right across the street from the Majestic Diner. The sanctuary can be visited Sunday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Here, the Greek mathmetician Pythagoras is celebrated for his contributions to musical knowledge, along with a nod to his work with right triangles. (PETE CORSON / PCORSON@AJC.COM)

The church was built during the Great Depression, with the windows installed throughout the 1940s. The windows were created by the Willet Studios, one of the premier stained glass makers in the country since 1898 (it's called Willet Hauser today). The company created the windows for the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., the Cadel Chapel at West Point, among many others over the century. Willet was known for adhering to a style based on Medieval techniques, and at the time of these windows, turned away from the popular style of the day that used "milky glass" (think Tiffany lamps). Here, Jesus turns water to wine on the left and feeds the multitudes on the right. (HYOSUB SHIN / HSHIN@AJC.COM)

Along the aisles are a series of large windows mostly depicting Biblical scenes. Below each of them is a smaller window at eye level that allows close inspection. The smaller windows on the west wall shown here show the months of the year -- represented as farming activities -- along with the Zodiac signs. The ones on the east wall show the arts and sciences, along with great masters from each discipline. The idea here is that the manual labor on one wall would be balanced by learning on the opposite wall. By the way, much of the infomation in these captions comes from Mary-Elizabeth Ellard's book on the subject, "A Soft Radiant Light". (PETE CORSON / PCORSON@AJC.COM)

Architecture and Medicine come next. Architecture holds a T-square, with Brunelleschi beneath her. Medicine stands with a mortar and pestle, and a caduceus symbol (the twisted snakes), which comes from Greek mythology. The Greek physician Hippocrates appears below him. (PETE CORSON / PCORSON@AJC.COM)

At Architecture's foot is a rendering of Druid Hills Presbyterian Church itself. The vantage point is from across the street. Considering that the Majestic Diner has been serving "food that pleases -- since 1929", could the artist have sketched this view from one of the diner's booths? (PETE CORSON / PCORSON@AJC.COM)

Filippo Brunelleschi was a 15th Century architect who shocked the Renaissance world by building the dome for the Florence Cathedral, which is shown here. Catch the recent National Geographic special on the dome whenever you get a chance. (PCORSON / PCORSON@AJC.COM)

Astronomy and Geometry are next. Astronomy seems to climb into space while taking observation notes. Geometry is surrounded by shapes and holds a polyhedron. Neither seems to be watching what they're writing or measuring, to be honest. Notice that they both stand on green spheres -- one is the Earth with grass, while the other is a plain geometric sphere. (PETE CORSON / PCORSON@AJC.COM)

Philosophy and Music share this window. Philosophy has her head in the clouds and is depicted holding a ladder, which is how she looked according to a vision by Boethius (he's coming up soon). At her feet is Plato. Music is ringing a trinity of bells, and has the surprising choice of Pythagoras at her feet. Although Pythagoras is best known for his theorem on right triangles, he also showed how geometric math defines musical scales. Also notice how the artist snuck in another purple right triangle at Music's feet. See the second photo in this gallery for a close up of Pythagoras. (PETE CORSON / PCORSON@AJC.COM)

This portrait of Plato is based on Raphael's famous "School of Athens" fresco in the Vatican. Plato points up because he believed that Ideal Forms were on a higher plane than what we experience. In the original painting, Plato's pupil Aristotle -- not shown here -- is shown arguing with his hand facing down, to indicate his focus on the world that we experience every day.

And now the "Labors of the Months" windows, which represent each month as an agricultural activity, and which include a corresponding Zodiac sign below. The Zodiac was originally a pagan belief system, but was appropriated in the Middle Ages by Christians as proof that God controlled the movement of the stars. January, on the right (the panels are to be read right-to-left on this wall), shows a feast with a familiar Roman god at the head of the table. February shows a diner staying warm and roasting meat by a fire. (PETE CORSON / PCORSON@AJC.COM)

A closer look at the Scorpio panel. (PETE CORSON / PCORSON@AJC.COM)

The next window shows the twelve apostles, each one carrying a symbol according to traditions associated with them. For instance, Peter on the left carries the key to the Kingdom. On the right, Judas turns away from the group while holding a bag of money. A noose ominously descends in front of him. (PETE CORSON / PCORSON@AJC.COM)

The parable of the Good Samaritan is told in this window. On the left, two passersby pay no attention to the beaten traveler. The person covering their face is also being pushed from the back by a small red devil, who is urging him to move on. On the right, the Samaritan gets the injured stranger to a local inn. (PETE CORSON / PCORSON@AJC.COM)

A closer look at the Rose Window shows Jesus at the center surrounded by symbols of the Apocalypse, such as a trumpet, a set of scales, and a dragon in chains. And so it seems appropriate that we choose this place to say -- The End. (HYOSUB SHIN / HSHIN@AJC.COM)

1/15

Onto the big windows. Our tour has cheated a bit and started with the smaller windows, but this window is where a viewer is truly supposed to start "reading" the story. We're showing only details from those windows here--you'll have to visit the church to see them in full. This window tells the Biblical creation story from Genesis, with the animals created on the left and Adam and Eve standing in the Garden of Eden on the right. (PETE CORSON / PCORSON@AJC.COM)

Today's Gallery Headlines

Region 5AA Championship : Holy Innocents vs. KIPP Atlanta

Alerts

PHOTOS: Holy Innocents’ wins Region 5AA championship in basketball

PHOTOS: Georgia State gets by Georgia Southern

PHOTOS: Trump visits Georgia, revisits 2020 election

PHOTOS: Georgia track and field gets major facilities upgrade

PHOTOS: The Weeknd electrifies the crowd at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz stadium

PHOTOS: Beyoncé fans arrive for 4-night Atlanta Cowboy Carter Tour stop

PHOTOS: Juneteenth Parade held in College Park

PHOTOS: Rapper Rick Ross holds 4th annual car show in Fayetteville