Mikluševci is a quiet village in the plains of Srijem, in eastern Croatia, where most people are Rusyns, whose ancestors settled here in the 19th century and who still pray in the Eastern rite of the Greek Catholic Church. In 2009 and 2010 we filled the windows of their church with saints, from the Holy Trinity above the altar to the princes of old Kyiv.

The iconostasis and the painted sanctuary of the Greek Catholic church in Mikluševci — The iconostasis

A village and its church

Mikluševci belongs to the municipality of Tompojevci in Vukovar Syrmia County, and it is the one place in the municipality where Rusyns make up the majority. The village church is the Greek Catholic Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos, and the parish was canonically founded in 1930.

Under an agreement signed on 16 March 2008, we made new figural stained glass windows for the church, about 430 square feet of glass in all.

The Holy Trinity above the altar

The program begins at the altar, with 3 windows of the Holy Trinity. God the Father sits enthroned on the clouds with His hand raised, God the Son rises from the clouds against a gold sky, and between them the Holy Spirit descends as a white dove from a burst of light. The 2 figures stand in rich baroque frames of gold, like altarpieces of glass.

Stained glass window of God the Father on the clouds above the altar, Greek Catholic church in Mikluševci

God the Father Stained glass window of God the Son rising from the clouds above the altar, Greek Catholic church in Mikluševci

God the Son

Stained glass window of the Holy Spirit as a white dove in a burst of light, Greek Catholic church in Mikluševci — The Holy Spirit

The family of Christ

Along the nave stand the saints closest to the Holy Family: Saint Anne and Saint Joachim, the parents of the Virgin, Saint Joseph holding the Christ Child with a lily in his hand, and Saint Anthony.

Stained glass window of Saint Joseph holding the Christ Child and a lily, Greek Catholic church in Mikluševci

Saint Joseph Stained glass window of a female saint in a red mantle over a blue robe, Greek Catholic church in Mikluševci

Saint Anne

The 4 Evangelists

The 4 Evangelists, Saints Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, each hold the Gospel they wrote. They stand under round arches of white and green ribbon work, with their names in Church Slavonic letters above them, in the style of Eastern icons.

Stained glass window of Saint John the Evangelist in a red mantle, Greek Catholic church in Mikluševci

Saint John Stained glass window of Saint Mark the Evangelist in a gold mantle with his Gospel, Greek Catholic church in Mikluševci

Saint Mark

Stained glass window of Saint Matthew the Evangelist in a green mantle with his Gospel, Greek Catholic church in Mikluševci — Saint Matthew

The saints of Kyiv

The most striking windows belong to the saints of old Kyiv. Saint Olga was the grandmother of Saint Vladimir; Vladimir brought his people to baptism in 988, and his sons Boris and Gleb, killed in 1015, became the first saints of Kyivan Rus, honored as passion bearers because they did not resist their killers.

In our windows Olga wears a crown and a robe of red and green, Vladimir holds a tall cross and a shield, and the young prince Gleb stands in green and red, under the inscription "Saint Gleb, martyr".

Stained glass window of Saint Olga with a crown, a cross and a red and green robe, Greek Catholic church in Mikluševci

Saint Olga Stained glass window of Saint Vladimir with a crown, a cross and a shield, Greek Catholic church in Mikluševci

Saint Vladimir

Stained glass window of Saint Gleb the martyr in a green tunic and red cloak, Greek Catholic church in Mikluševci

Saint Gleb Stained glass detail of a prince saint in a fur hat holding a cross, Greek Catholic church in Mikluševci

A prince of Kyiv

Angels

In 2 more windows, angels with tall staffs stand on a lattice of blue, one in rose and green, the other in red and gold, each under the letters of Christ's name.

An angel

Stained glass window of a female saint in prayer with raised hands, Greek Catholic church in Mikluševci — In prayer

Made in Sombor

Every figure was drawn full size, painted on the glass and fired in the kiln in our studio in Sombor, Serbia, then set in lead. Many of the windows carry the names of the families who gave them, painted at the foot of the glass, so the parish itself is written into its windows.

The painted walls, icons and stained glass windows inside the Greek Catholic church in Mikluševci — Windows, icons and walls

See more of our sacred art and stained glass commissions.

Church: Greek Catholic Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos, Mikluševci, Croatia
Work: figural stained glass windows, about 430 sq ft: the Holy Trinity, the 4 Evangelists, Saints Anne, Joachim, Joseph and Anthony, Saints Olga, Vladimir, Boris and Gleb
Agreement: 16 March 2008
Fabrication: Stanisic Studio, Sombor, Republic of Serbia
Years: 2009 to 2010

From Kyiv to Srijem: Stained Glass for the Greek Catholic Church in Mikluševci