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Stephen Gabriel Huws graduated on Friday, 13 June 2025, completing the PhD journey he began in September 2020. It was a glorious sunny day, and he was delighted to celebrate this milestone with friends and family.
Stephen’s doctoral research focused on the reception of the Virgin Mary in stained glass across Dublin, covering the period from 1850 to 1932. His thesis concentrated on eight Marian episodes uniquely described in the Gospel of Luke: the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Adoration of the Shepherds, the Circumcision, the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, the Finding of Jesus in the Temple, the Ascension, and the Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
By analysing these windows as instances of biblical reception, Stephen examined how artists visualised the Lucan texts, exploring both their fidelity to scripture and the reasons for departures from it. His research considered additional influences from the broader literary and artistic traditions and paid close attention to how meaning is shaped through factors such as the window’s placement within a building and its relationship with surrounding church decoration.
The study draws on two key theoretical frameworks: Hans-Georg Gadamer’s hermeneutic aesthetics and Paolo Berdini’s theory of visual exegesis. These approaches offer valuable insights into the dynamic interplay between text and image, shedding light on how stained glass functions as a medium of biblical interpretation.
Stephen’s work also highlights the contrasting approaches found in Catholic and Church of Ireland contexts. By comparing these traditions, his thesis reveals the nuanced ways in which religious and artistic choices are expressed in the portrayal of Marian narratives.
Set against a backdrop of major political and religious change in Ireland, from the rise of stained glass as a popular medium in the 1850s to the early years of the Irish Free State, Stephen’s research provides a rich and original contribution to our understanding of sacred art and cultural history. The shift in religious dynamics during this period, particularly the growing dominance of Catholicism after independence, also helps explain the decreasing presence of Church of Ireland stained glass in the later years of his study.
Congratulations to Stephen on this outstanding achievement!
Stephen’s doctoral research focused on the reception of the Virgin Mary in stained glass across Dublin, covering the period from 1850 to 1932. His thesis concentrated on eight Marian episodes uniquely described in the Gospel of Luke: the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Adoration of the Shepherds, the Circumcision, the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, the Finding of Jesus in the Temple, the Ascension, and the Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
By analysing these windows as instances of biblical reception, Stephen examined how artists visualised the Lucan texts, exploring both their fidelity to scripture and the reasons for departures from it. His research considered additional influences from the broader literary and artistic traditions and paid close attention to how meaning is shaped through factors such as the window’s placement within a building and its relationship with surrounding church decoration.
The study draws on two key theoretical frameworks: Hans-Georg Gadamer’s hermeneutic aesthetics and Paolo Berdini’s theory of visual exegesis. These approaches offer valuable insights into the dynamic interplay between text and image, shedding light on how stained glass functions as a medium of biblical interpretation.
Stephen’s work also highlights the contrasting approaches found in Catholic and Church of Ireland contexts. By comparing these traditions, his thesis reveals the nuanced ways in which religious and artistic choices are expressed in the portrayal of Marian narratives.
Set against a backdrop of major political and religious change in Ireland, from the rise of stained glass as a popular medium in the 1850s to the early years of the Irish Free State, Stephen’s research provides a rich and original contribution to our understanding of sacred art and cultural history. The shift in religious dynamics during this period, particularly the growing dominance of Catholicism after independence, also helps explain the decreasing presence of Church of Ireland stained glass in the later years of his study.
Congratulations to Stephen on this outstanding achievement!