Franz Mayer & Co.

Franz Mayer & Co. (Mayer & Co. of Munich) is a German stained glass design and manufacturing company, based in Munich, Germany, that has been active throughout most of the world for over 150 years. The firm was very popular during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, and was the principal provider of stained glass to the large Roman Catholic churches that were constructed throughout the world during that period. Franz Mayer and Co. were stained glass artists to the Holy See and consequently were popular with Roman Catholic clients.[1]

Window by Franz Mayer & Co. for St. Matthew's German Evangelical Lutheran Church in Charleston, South Carolina, USA.

History
Monaghan Saint Macartan's Cathedral Window Patrons of Ireland Detail Saint Patrick
Great window in the choir gallery of St. Mary – St. Catherine of Siena Parish (Charlestown, MA, USA)

In 1847, Joseph Gabriel Mayer (1808 - 1883) founded the “Institute for Christian Art“ in Munich, to make ecclesiastical furnishings. Royal commissions for the Cologne and Regensburg cathedrals drew Mayer to create a stained glass department in 1860. In 1865 a branch was opened in London, and in 1888 in New York City.[2]

"Stylistically, Mayer's windows tend to contain richly colored scenes bordered by architectural frames consisting of pilasters, columns, architrave and elaborate canopies."[3] It represents an aesthetic that was evidently prized in its time for its craftsmanship and opulence as well as for its ability to engage the viewer emotionally and spiritually.[3]

Broadly speaking, the Munich Pictorial Style is Romantic and "owed much to the revival of religious painting - especially fresco painting in the tradition of the Italian Renaissance masters, especially Masaccio, Raphael, and Michelangelo - in Germany early in the 19th-century."[3] "The studio often incorporated imagery from Great Master paintings as well as compositions of the nineteenth century, a standard practice in public decorative work of the era. For example, a window in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Charleston, South Carolina, installed in 1907 or 1925-26, shows the Transfiguration of Christ modeled after the 1517 painting by Raphael in the Vatican."[4]

In 1882 the company was awarded the status of “Royal Bavarian Art Establishment“ by King Ludwig the II. In 1892, Pope Leo XIII named the company a “Pontifical Institute of Christian Art“.[2] "Munich glass windows could be imported as art, i.e., glass “paintings” and—exempt from a high tariff on imported “raw” glass ... the broad aesthetic appeal, economic advantage, and papal approval made Munich glass windows the overwhelming choice among Roman Catholics in the United States."[5] Mayer's commissions include over seventy-six cathedrals, twenty-six of them in the United States.

Along with stained glass, about half of the company's work is in mosaics. In the fifties and sixties, Mayer developed their own fibre-glass mesh. Adhesives have also been developed to the firm's own specifications. The company provides installation and curatorial services.[6]

Works in Ireland

The Mayer Co. is responsible for stained glass in at least ten of Ireland's Cathedral churches (Derry, Thurles, Letterkenny, Ballaghaderreen, Newry, Waterford, Ballina, Enniscorthy, Carlow, and Cobh). The work of Franz Mayer & Co. in Ireland is currently the subject of graduate research at Trinity College Dublin. (as at June, 2013).[7]

  • Cathedral of St Patrick and St Colman, Newry
  • Church of the Immaculate Conception, Wexford
  • Church of the Sacred Heart (Omagh), Co. Tyrone[8][9]
  • Clongowes Wood, Clongowes Wood College
  • Dominican Church, Dundalk
  • Loreto Convent, Omagh
  • Mausoleum Monivea, County Galway
  • Presentation Brothers' Novitiate, Blarney Street, Cork City
  • Presentation Convent, Tralee
  • St. Patrick's College, Maynooth
  • Vincentians, Sunday's Well, County Cork

Catholic cathedrals
Detail of a stained glass window featuring St. Dominic receiving the rosary from the Virgin Mary by Franz Mayer in Carlow Cathedral
Thurles Cathedral Rose Window
  • Armagh RC Cathedral (St. Patrick's Catholic Cathedral, Armagh)
  • Ballaghaderreen Cathedral
  • Carlow Cathedral
  • Cathedral of St Patrick and St Colman, Newry
  • Derry Cathedral
  • St. Aidan's Cathedral, Enniscorthy
  • Letterkenny Cathedral
  • Monaghan Cathedral
  • Thurles Cathedral
  • St. Patrick's Cathedral, Karachi 1878

Church of Ireland cathedrals

Catholic churches In Ireland
  • The Assumption, Magherafelt, County Londonderry
  • St. Michaels Church, Portarlington, Offaly
  • Ballymaghery, Hilltown, County Down
  • Carrick-on-suir, County Tipperary
  • Castlebar, County Mayo
  • Castlewellan, County Down
  • Church of the Immaculate Conception, Clonakilty, County Cork
  • Church of the Immaculate Conception, Termonfeckin, Co Louth
  • Church of Mary Immaculate, Collon, County Louth
  • Clones, Co. Monaghan
  • Dolphin's Barn, Dublin
  • Donnybrook, Dublin
  • Downpatrick, County Down
  • Dundalk, County Louth
  • Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh
  • Holy Cross, Tramore, County Waterford
  • Killeen, County Carlow 1909
  • Kintullagh, County Galway
  • Knock, Co. Laois
  • New Ross, County Wexford
  • Omagh, County Tyrone
  • Our Lady and St. David, Naas, County Kildare
  • Our Lady of the Assumption, Collooney, County Sligo
  • Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Ballingarry, Co. Limerick
  • Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Tenure, Castlebellingham, County Louth
  • Church of the Sacred Heart, Templemore, County Tipperary[11]
  • St. Ailbe's, Emly, County Tipperary
  • St. Ann's Dawson St., Dublin
  • St. Brigid's, Ardagh, County Longford
  • St. Brigid's, Clara, County Offaly
  • St. Columb's Derry
  • St. Conleth's, Newbridge, County Kildare
  • St. Cronan's, Roscrea, County Tipperary
  • St. Joseph, Baltinglass, County Wicklow
  • St. Mary, Askeaton
  • St. Mary of the Rosary, Nenagh, County Tipperary
  • St. Mary's and St. Michael's, Rathdrum, County Wicklow
  • St. Mary's Athlone, County Westmeath
  • St. Mary's Drogheda, County Louth
  • St. Mary's, Castleblayney, Co. Monaghan
  • St. Mary's Galway
  • St Mary's Church, Navan
  • St. Matthew's Church, Ballymahon, Co. Longford
  • St. Michael's, Tipperary
  • St. Patrick's, Ballybay, County Monaghan
  • St. Patrick's Killygordan, County Donegal
  • St. Patrick's Monkstown, County Dublin
  • St. Patrick's, Trim, Meath
  • St. Peter's Drogheda, County Louth
  • St. Teresa's, Laban, Ardrahan, County Galway
  • Sts Patrick and Brigid, Kilmallock, County Limerick
  • Saints Peter and Paul, Monasterevin, County Kildare
  • Strabane, County Tyrone
  • Whitehouse, County Antrim

Church of Ireland churches
  • Park Rd., Dún Laoghaire
  • St. John's, Sligo
  • St. Peter's Phibsborough
  • St. Mary's, Church of Ireland, Athenry, Co. Galway
  • St. Mark's Church of Ireland, Ligoniel Road, Belfast
  • St. Nicholas' Church of Ireland, Adare, Co. Limerick
  • Skibbereen
  • Templeague

Works in the United States
Close up shot of the Mayer & Co. maker's mark on a stained glass window in St. Edward Catholic Church in Palm Beach, Florida. Image shows the text "Mayer & Co. Munich New York".
Mayer & Co. mark on stained glass window in Omaha, Nebraska.
  • St. Timothy's Episcopal Church, (Columbia, SC)
  • Atlanta First United Methodist Church, Atlanta, Georgia
  • Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Jacksonville), Jacksonville, Florida
  • Basilica San Francisco de Asis, Mission Dolores, San Francisco (Roman Catholic)
  • Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, Covington, KY (Roman Catholic)
  • Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Mobile, Alabama, (Roman Catholic)
  • Cathedral Basilica of St. James, Brooklyn, New York (Roman Catholic)
  • Cathedral Church of the Advent, Birmingham, Alabama {Episcopal)
  • Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Biloxi, MS
  • Cathedral of St. Andrew, Grand Rapids, Michigan
  • Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Charleston, SC (Roman Catholic)
  • Chapel of the Rock, Saint Malo Church, Colorado.
  • Chapel of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Holy Ghost Preparatory School
  • Christ and St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Norfolk, Virginia
  • Christ Church (Greenville, South Carolina)
  • Christ Church, Frederica St. Simons Island, Georgia (Episcopal)
  • Church of the Holy Name of Mary, (1848) Newport, RI
  • Church of the Most Holy Trinity, Augusta, GA (Roman Catholic)
  • Church of Saint Peter, Saratoga Springs, NY (Roman Catholic)
  • Corpus Christi Church, Buffalo, New York (Roman Catholic)
  • Dahlgren Chapel of the Sacred Heart, Washington, D.C. (Roman Catholic)
  • The Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Motherhouse, Nashville, TN, St. Dominic Oratory and St. Cecilia Chapel[12]
  • The Episcopal Church of the Holy Innocents, Henderson, NC
  • Grace Episcopal Church, Radford, VA
  • Mother of God, Covington, KY (Roman Catholic)
  • Mulberry Street United Methodist Church, Macon, GA
  • Our Lady Help of Christians, Philadelphia, PA, Port Richmond section of the city (Roman Catholic), established in 1885
  • Our Lady of the Lake Catholic church, Louisiana
  • Resurrection Roman Catholic Parish (formerly St. Stephen) in Johnstown, PA
  • Sacred Heart Church, Norfolk, Virginia (Roman Catholic)
  • St. Adalbert's Basilica, Buffalo, New York (Roman Catholic)
  • St. Alphonsus Parish, Chicago, IL
  • St. Ann's Catholic Church, Staten Island, NY
  • Saint Anne's Catholic Church, Peasant Point Passamaquoddy Reservation, ME
  • St. Catherine of Siena (New Orleans)
  • St. Edward Roman Catholic Church, Palm Beach, Florida (Roman Catholic)[13]
  • St. Elizabeth Church – Greenville Alabama
  • St. Gertrude Parish, Chicago, IL
  • St. Hyacinth Basilica, Avondale neighborhood of Chicago, IL
  • St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church, Omaha, NE
  • St. James Episcopal,[14] Greenville, South Carolina
  • St. James Parish,[15] Haverhill, Massachusetts (Roman Catholic)
  • Saint John Catholic Church, Westminster, MD
  • St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Circleville, Ohio
  • St. Joseph Catholic Church, Macon, Georgia
  • St. Joseph Catholic Church, Stockbridge, MA
  • St. Joseph's Parish,[16] Biddeford, ME (Roman Catholic)
  • St. Joseph's Villa, Richmond, Virginia, est. 1930
  • St. Leo the Great Catholic Church, Philadelphia, PA
  • St. Mary – St. Catherine of Siena Parish (Charlestown, MA)
  • St. Mary Church, Norwalk, CT[17]
  • St. Mary's Church, Greenville, SC (Roman Catholic)
  • St. Mary's Church, Newark, NJ
  • St. Mary's Church, Uxbridge, Massachusetts
  • St. Mary Help of Christians Church, Aiken, SC (Roman Catholic)
  • St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church (Charleston, South Carolina)
  • St. Matthew's Church, East Syracuse, NY
  • St. Matthew's German Evangelical Lutheran Church, Charleston, South Carolina
  • St. Michael's Church- Chicago, IL, in Old Town (Roman Catholic)
  • St. Stanislaus – Bishop & Martyr Church, Buffalo, New York (Roman Catholic)
  • St. Stephen the Martyr Catholic Church, Omaha, NE
  • St. Thomas Aquinas, Lincoln, NE
  • Shrine of the Sacred Heart Church, Baltimore, MD
  • Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Mary, Monroe, MI
  • Trinity Episcopal Church (Asbury Park)
  • Trinity Episcopal Parish Church (Seattle)

Works in Canada

St. Andrews Catholic Church, St. Andrews West Ont.

Works in the rest of the world

See also

References
  1. Gerry Convery. “Poetry in Stone: Sacred Heart Church.” (Omagh: Drumragh RC Parish, 1999), p.120.
  2. "History", Franz Mayer of Munich, Inc.
  3. "Munich Pictorial Style Stained Glass Windows in Western New York", Buffalo Architecture and History
  4. Raguin, Virginia Chieffo. Stained Glass: From Its Origins to the Present, 2003, pp. 205-210
  5. "Leo Thomas (1876-1950) for George Boos (1859-1937), Munich, Germany", Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation
  6. Franz Mayer of Munich, Inc.
  7. Department of History of Art & Architecture, University of Dublin, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
  8. The window dedicated to Edward Boyle over the high altar, the finest in the church, was designed and executed at a cost of £600. The window was refurbished between 1938–1948. The stained glass in the side chapels was also their work and mostly donated by the “Broderick Family of New York and Brooklyn,” as well as other families in New York City and St. Louis, Missouri. Gerry Convery. “Poetry in Stone: Sacred Heart Church.” (Omagh: Drumragh RC Parish, 1999), p. 120.
  9. Mayer & Co. also provided the Stations of the Cross at a cost of £35 each for a total of £490. These were refurbished and repainted in 1998 by Irish Contract Seating, Dromod, Co. Leitrim. Gerry Convery. “Poetry in Stone: Sacred Heart Church.” (Omagh: Drumragh RC Parish, 1999). p.122.
  10. Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  11. https://www.tipperarylive.ie/news/templemore/312487/suggestions-sought-for-alternative-mass-venue-in-templemore.html
  12. "Motherhouse Tour – Nashville Dominicans". Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  13. verified through first hand observation by Tom Fawls on 10 Dec 2012. A photo of the Mayer and Co. mark on one of the St. Edward's windows has been added to this page as verification.
  14. "St. James' Stained Glass Windows". Archived from the original on November 4, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  15. Archived July 24, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  16. Archived July 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  17. St. Mary Church, Norwalk, CT
  18. Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Guelph, Ontario (Roman Catholic)
  19. Historic England. "Church of St Michael (1507817)". PastScape. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  20. Archived December 3, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  21. Wilson, Dr. M. and Crawford, Rev. K., Pershore Abbey, Official Abbey Guide, 2008, ISBN 1-872-665-22-5, p.21
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