DEAN of St Stephen’s Cathedral Fr Ken Howell has inspected restoration work on one of the cathedral’s great treasures – the historic stained-glass windows created by famed Irish artisan Harry Clarke of Dublin.
The Mayne family stained-glass windows, removed from behind the cathedral’s altar for restoration in late February, are regarded as amongst Australia’s finest.
The Ascension window, comprising three lancets, is inscribed to the memory of Isaac and William Mayne and was given by their brother and sister.
The stained-glass window was commissioned by Archbishop Sir James Duhig while he was in Ireland in 1922. It was blessed by the apostolic delegate in his presence the following year on June 10, 1923.
Fr Howell, who inspected the windows at the Eumundi studio of stained-glass expert Gerry Cummins and his team on April 22, said his visit had given him “an excellent opportunity to see the restoration of this extraordinary work of art”.
The restoration work started with the erection of scaffolding at the cathedral and the removal of the three lancets comprising a total of 32 panels.
Mr Cummins said about three-quarters of the restoration work was complete.
“We’re expecting to start re-installing the windows on Monday, May 25, and should be finished by the end of that week,” he said.
At least 120 people from a range of organisations involved with professionals and enthusiasts linked to stained-glass restorations and heritage preservation had visited to observe the work, Mr Cummins said.
Two groups of St Stephen’s Cathedral guides had also visited.
