The one-hour documentary The Creation Rose explores the design, construction, and cultural impact of Washington National Cathedral’s third great eye, the nearly 30-foot diameter stained-glass West Rose. Viewers are transported back in time to reveal not only how the window was created, but why its radical theme of “creation” was chosen—and why Rowan LeCompte was entrusted with it. Letters and notes from the architect and artist, as well as archival interviews with the late stained-glass master LeCompte, his longtime fabricator Dieter Goldkuhle and their families; cathedral staff and stone masons; and images of the construction process during the 1970s alongside modern drone footage of the stunning window all combine to tell an inspiring story.
LeCompte argued that only an abstract design could truly capture the grandeur of God’s creation of the universe. But translating this cosmic vision into glass was no simple feat. The Creation Rose takes viewers through LeCompte’s inspiration, redesigns, and roadblocks, into the small, cramped studio where he and master craftsman Dieter Goldkuhle wrestled with color, form, and time itself, their collaboration fraught with creative tension. This was all done without the window’s frame or tracery, even existing. Interviews with the cathedral’s stone masons reveal the complexities of constructing the limestone tracery. As the deadline loomed with a royal visit approaching and the window far from completion, doubts mounted. Was this bold new vision a mistake? Then, in a breathtaking climax, the film shows how the final masterpiece comes together in time for its planned Easter Sunday, 1976 debut —an explosion of light and color that would forever change the cathedral’s identity and continues to leave visitors in awe, 50 years later.
Tickets are free but are required for this screening. Tickets can be reserved in person at the Majestic Box Office at 25 Carlisle St., Gettysburg, PA, 17325 or by calling 717-337-8200.
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