A man, a river and a tree

Today I took myself off to Oxford in search of the last John Piper stained glass window on my list. It also happens to be the last window that John Piper designed. The church of St Mary the Virgin in Iffley is a fascinating place, built in the 1160s it is full of intriguing medieval symbolism carved into the stonework. There are some wonderful looking fragments of later medieval glass but these are high up in the tracery and I will need to return with my long lens.  The John Piper window didn’t disappoint but my blip is of a newer (2012) window standing opposite. Piper’s ‘Nativity’ window features the Tree of Life and talking creatures heralding the birth (it was a widespread medieval belief that, on the birth of Christ, animals and birds gained the power of speech). Opposite stands ‘The Flowering Tree’ by Roger Wagner which depicts the crucified Christ on the tree of life, a tree covered in May blossom from which flows the river of life. The title "A man, a river and a tree" is the first line of the poem by Roger Wagner.