St. Telesphorus Window Carmelite Monastery Boxmeer, The Netherlands
Full Window The Greek hermit, Telesphorus, was the 7th Roman pope (circa 125-136 AD) and suffered death as a martyr. Until the 17th century, Telesphorus was claimed as a Carmelite due to the tradition that he spent his early years as a hermit.
Middle Section Telesphorus is portrayed in this window wearing the papal tiara, carrying a crosier with three crossbars and dressed in the golden cloak but with a Carmelite brown habit and white cloak underneath.
The ceborium Telesphorus is holding, with three hosts on top, refers to the tradition that as pope, he issued a decree allowing priests to say three masses on Christmas to commemorate the three-fold birth of the Eternal Word: the historical birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, the birth of God in the soul of the newly baptized Christian and the coming of Christ at the end of times. A small cloud with the monogram of Mary is visible above the ceborium. This refers to a vision of Telesphorus that is said to have inspired him to defend the resurrection of the body and the holiness of Mary in the theological debates of his time.
Upper Section The text recalls the donation of Catharina, Graefin von Zeil, Prinzessin von Hohenzollern
Lower Section "St. Telesphorus, Pope, Martyr of our Order, wants to commemorate the three-fold birth of Christ with a three-fold celebration of the Sacrifice of the mass. Telesphorus, Highpriest, taken from the order of Elijah.
		Curator: Sunny Bruijns, O. Carm. February 2006