A glorious 28 feet wide, the newly restored “rose” window (Page 1) at Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary glows with light of the sun and the light of faith.

When Archbishop George Mundelein built the seminary in 1918 he commissioned its gothic St. James Chapel windows. Patterned after La Sainte Chapelle in Paris, the rose window was designed by artist Robert Giles, of the John J. Kinsella Company, in 1919.

The window tells a faith story: Our Lady stands at the center with 16 ruby petals telling her attributes in the language of symbols. Biblical imagery is repeated in narrow lancet windows using a bold spectrum of color, with over 500,000 pieces of English antique glass. Friends of the Windows, a non-sectarian volunteer group was formed in 1997 to save the chapel’s priceless historic windows. A painstaking restoration program is ongoing, with funds raised by free-will donations often at teas or “Second Saturday at Two” concerts in the chapel. The next program is 2 p.m. Feb. 10. For more information, call Neil Ball at (312) 782-3532.