The "Transfiguration Window" is located in the chancel of the church, and depicts Jesus clothed in a glistening white robe. On the left is Moses, carrying a tablet containing the Ten Commandments he received from God on Mount Sinai. On the right, the prophet Elijah holds a flaming wheel symbolizing the fiery chariot in which it is said he had ascended to heaven. The three central figures are encircled by a ribbon inscribed with the words heard by the disciples. The scene illustrates a biblical story found in the Books of Matthew, Mark and Luke.
The first stained glass in the church was a rose window installed in 1937, followed by other windows added to the sides of the nave and in the chancel.
The original chancel window was later replaced by the "Transfiguration Window," which was given in memory of Linwood I. Noyes and dedicated in 1964 during the 75th anniversary celebration of the parish. The windows were made by the Conrad Schmitt Studios, founded by Conrad Schmitt of Milwaukee in 1889, now located in New Berlin, Wis.
Evelyn Bedore, longtime member, registered the window in the census. Its number is MSGC 94.0128.
The window of the month can be viewed at: museum.msu.edu/museum/msgc/oct03
The Church of the Transfiguration traces its beginning to 1888, when a group of women of Ironwood formed an Episcopal Ladies' Society. In 1889 the Mission of St. Paul was organized and by 1890 the parishioners were meeting in a former Presbyterian church, which they had moved to a new site. The present church is a stone building constructed of local materials. It was designed by Fred Charlton of Marquette and was completed in 1897.
The Michigan Stained Glass Census, which began in 1992, is a statewide survey of architectural stained glass coordinated by the Michigan State University Museum. Windows of the Month are selected based on subject matter, technique, seasonal theme, type of building, age, and region in the state -- to showcase the tremendous variety of the art form.
The census is an ongoing project that encourages individuals and groups to better appreciate and preserve the stained glass treasures in their own communities. To date, more than 1,000 buildings around the state have been documented, many with multiple windows listed in the census.
Window in stained glass census
A stained glass window located in the Church of the Transfiguration, at 336 E. Aurora St. in Ironwood, is featured as October's Window of the Month for the Michigan Stained Glass Census, a program of the Michigan State University Museum.