This magnificent window consisting of seven lights tells the story of salvation, from the disobedience of Adam and Eve resulting in their expulsion from the Garden of Eden, bottom right of the window, to the Resurrected Christ in glory in the centre, with the symbols of the four gospel writers at his feet.
Type and Anti-type
It is an example of a "Type and Anti-type" window in which incidents from the Old Testament (Types) are used to foreshadow events in the New Testament. Ordinarily one would expect to see events from the Old Testament on the left and those from the New Testament on the right, but here the opposite is the case.
The largest and most important example of Type and Anti-type here is the centre right Old Testament record of how Moses was told to make a bronze serpent and set it up on a pole so that those who had been bitten by a serpent could look to it and be healed. This foreshadows the New Testament account (Anti-type) of the Crucifixion, portrayed on the left hand side of the window.
Stonework & Design
The stonework of the south transept window was constructed in the time of John Langton (Bishop 1305-37), probably replacing smaller windows of Romanesque design. The glass is of a more recent date and was installed in 1877 at a cost of £1,000, more than the cost of all the windows in the Lady Chapel. The stonework of the window was extensively restored and the glass thoroughly cleaned and re-leaded (2001-03).
The design of the south transept window was by Charles Parrish, a local architect. The glass was made in the studio of Marechal and Champigneulle of Metz. It was a gift, in memory of his wife, by John Abel Smith who was Member of Parliament for Chichester for thirty four years (1831-1868).