Army of righteousness slays dragons of mischief. Detail of stained glass, inspired by biblical Book of Revelation, in Liberation Window in the Oude Kerk or Old Church in Delft, South Holland, Netherlands. The 1950s window celebrates the withdrawal of German troops from the city in May 1945, at the end of World War II, following five years of Nazi occupation.
Delft, South Holland, Netherlands: hideous winged monsters with bodies of glowing deep red stained glass, mouths full of pointed teeth and wearing golden crowns, are speared by the forces of righteousness in a vibrant design in the city’s Oude Kerk or Old Church. The dramatic scene is a lower detail of the church’s Liberation Window, which celebrates the liberation of Delft from Nazi occupation in 1945. The artwork was inspired by the Book of Revelation, the final book of the New Testament, in which the writer describe a titanic battle between Good and Evil in which “the dragon of mischief is slain by the army of righteousness”. The window, in the north wall of the north transept, was donated to the church by the Delft municipality a year after German troops finally withdrew from the city in May 1645, at the end of World War II. Delft had been occupied since May 1940. The Gothic Oude Kerk, founded in 1246, is Delft’s oldest church and is one of its best-known landmarks. A devastating fire in 1536 and a massive gunpowder explosion in 1654, known as the Dutch Thunderclap, destroyed all of the church’s medieval stained glass; most of the windows were then either bricked up or filled with plain glass. A total of 27 new stained glass windows were inserted as the church underwent years of restoration beginning in 1949. Renowned stained glass artist Joep Nicolas (1897-1972) was responsible for 25 of the colourful designs, with the final two completed after his death. Apart from the Liberation Window, installed in 1956, they depict biblical stories and commemorate Dutch historical events and personalities such William the Silent, Prince of Orange, and Queen Wilhelmina, who reigned from 1890 to 1948.
Size: 1976px × 2972px
Location: Delft, South Holland, Netherlands.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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