St. Luke’s United Methodist Church

Recently on a road trip to Dubuque, my friend and I decided to begin our day in church. St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, built in 1896, is on the National Register of Historical Places for its architecture, its history in the region, and its Tiffany glass. We were interested in seeing the Tiffany glass.

Louis C. Tiffany (1848-1933) was a world renown artist. He created his own unique glass, which he used to make spectacular windows, lamps and more. 

A classic Tiffany iris, as part of one window.

His windows are made of multi-layers of glass, with iridescence/opulence qualities and deep, rich colors. 

 “Tiffany believed that this new material (his new creation and technique) … enabled form to be defined by the glass itself rather than by painting onto the glass.” The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art

There is much to learn about this artist’s glass and his magnificent works. Click here for more information: Tiffany Glass.

To see this display of Tiffany windows in St. Luke’s was a treat. The church is open to the public for viewing the Tiffany windows during the week, and offers weekly church services on Sunday. 

There was a short 11-minute video clip we watched as we sat surrounded by these beautiful glass windows. 

The windows had been meticulously restored a few years ago at the cost of $40,000 per window.

This is one of the three Tiffany lamps in the church.

There were also three Tiffany glass chandeliers in the church. There were even Tiffany glass windows in the restrooms!

Looking up to the balcony.

In the Midwest, there are only a few places that have Tiffany glass windows. We were grateful one of those places was Dubuque, Iowa.

My favorite window: The Good Shepherd.

As we left the sanctuary, we noticed a sign that read, “If you think our windows are beautiful…you should meet our people!”

What a pleasant way to start our day.

12 thoughts on “St. Luke’s United Methodist Church”

  1. What a treasure of art. I loved this tour. I especially like the iris and floral windows, mostly because I’ve never seen anything like either in a church. Dubuque is such a beautiful Mississippi River city which I want to revisit. And this church with these Tiffany windows will top my list of places to see. Thank you for sharing this.

    1. Dubuque is a great river town. We enjoy our visits there.
      This is the first time we went to the church though.
      I know you would enjoy seeing these stunning windows.

    2. I love Dubuque’s churches with Tiffany glass. I read a book about the history of some of the women who created Tiffany glass. I will try to find the title for you. It was a really good read.

      1. I’ll look forward to learning the title of the book.
        The windows were so creative.

    1. You would enjoy a visit to Dubuque Therese, even if just an overnight on your many trips with your sister and other family. 😉

  4. What an exquisite array of Tiffany Glass windows. I agree, the window with The Good Shepherd would be my favorite too Thanks for sharing! If I ever get to Dubuque again, I will have to remember this church.

Comments are closed.