Light Is The Inspiration For Stained Glass Windows
Light is truly the inspiration for stained glass in both the physical and literal senses. During the Gothic Era from about 1150 - 1500 A.D. there was no electricity so alternate ways of lighting Cathedrals was necessary. Immense and exquisite stained glass windows were created and intended to provide physical light by allowing in much needed sunlight, but they were also intended to provide spiritual light. The King James Version of the Bible in John 8:12 says "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." Jesus was the inspiration for and his life, gruesome death and subsequent resurrection were the subject of the majority of stained glass windows created during that period in history.
Grand and magnificent cathedrals carved up gigantic stones and supported by immense pillars and flying buttresses reaching up towards the Heavens in worship of God and His son were crowned with beautiful jewels known as stained glass. In some Cathedrals, stained glass panels covered entire walls and the supporting pillars go almost entirely unnoticed. The pillars alone could not have supported the weight of the structure, which is the purpose of the flying buttresses (they braced the structure from the outside).
The art of making stained glass has been poetically referred to as "painting with light" taking the analogy even further. This term was coined due to the fact that rather than reflecting light off of it, a stained glass window allows light to be transmitted through it. It is a unique partnership, as neither the light nor the window is as magnificent without the other.
Abbot Suger of the Cathedral at St. Denis in France was among the first to employ the Gothic form of architecture in an attempt to glorify God and Jesus Christ. The following quote is taken from a writing of Suger, included as a part of a transcription on the doors to the Cathedral. That gives insight into his motivations for using large amounts of stained glass and the relationship of the physical light to the spiritual, "...The noble work is bright, but, being nobly bright, the work should brighten the minds, allowing them to travel through the lights to the true light, where Christ is the true door."
He later gave a detailed explanation as to what the purpose of the exemplary works of stained glass window art were in the church; "Thus sometimes when, because of my delight in the beauty of the house of God, the multicolor loveliness of the gems has called me away from external cares, and worthy meditation, transporting me from material to immaterial things, has persuaded me to examine the diversity of holy virtues, then I seem to see myself existing on some level, as it were, beyond our earthly one, neither completely in the slime of earth nor completely in the purity of heaven.
By the gift of God I can be transported in an anagogical manner from this inferior level to that superior one." Walking into a mighty cathedral such as St. Denis, even today, one can feel the influence this passion for light had on the development of the art of stained glass making and the worship of God during the Gothic Era.
More Articles
Your Stained Glass Hobby Can Become A Fun And Lucrative Job
Designing Your Own Stained Glass
Stained Glass Workshop Safety Tips
Beginning Stained Glass Class And What You Should Expect To Learn
Painting Stained Glass Is Not As Mysterious As It Seems
Stained Glass Projects For Children
Stained Glass Copper Foil Technique
Stained Glass Art For Your Garden
Products And Downloads
Free Videos
More Articles And News
Stained Glass Workshop Safety Tips
... should be kept in a special container for taking to a recycler. Sometimes new stained glass crafters don't have a workshop and think they can begin by working at their kitchen table or counter. That is a definite risk of exposing you and your family to lead poisoning, chemical contamination, and hazards ...
Painting Stained Glass Is Not As Mysterious As It Seems
... you could build your own easel and light box and purchase a used kiln from ads in stained glass magazines or online. You can also make your own mahl sticks and bridges which are wooden supports for your hand and arm for helping with paint stroke technique. Your work area does not have to be large. It ...
Your Stained Glass Hobby Can Become A Fun And Lucrative Job
... can be done year around and from home. This way the stained glass crafter can sell on speculation or by special order. The advantage to selling on speculation is that you can choose the project you want to do and not worry about deadlines or meeting anyone's specifications. You can work at home in your ...
Designing Your Own Stained Glass
... consider changing the lines slightly to avoid difficult cuts. Remember that smaller pieces with more leading between them will make the stained glass stronger, so consider adding lines in areas that are too large. When working on your first design, keep it simple so you can gain experience and build your ...
... fabulous, elegant rich look. These items don't need to be expensive and your bathroom will look like it belongs to the Vanderbilt's! A beautiful stained glass window over the kitchen sink would certainly make doing dishes more enjoyable. Casual meals in the breakfast nook would seem more extraordinary ...
Samm Hawley 1934-2008 The Santa Barbara Independent, CA - This journey led her to work in ceramics, jewelry, textiles, sculpture, wearable art, hot glass, and stained glass as well as painting. ... |
Church that rose from the ashes offers aid The Republican - MassLive.com, MA - Above the altar is a majestic stained glass window - vibrant blues and reds mostly - of Christ, with a crown on his head. Two years and two months ago, ... |
Stained glass installed at City Chambers Edinburgh Evening News, UK - THE latest work on the City Chambers refurbishment has seen a number of stained glass windows installed on the historic building's main staircase. ... |
16 Months After Bay Ridge Tornado, Restored Church Window Comes Home Brooklyn Daily Eagle, NY - The rare tornado swept down on Bay Ridge damaging homes in a two block area, including the huge ornate front stained glass window, side windows and ... |
Symbolic images: Local Methodist church repairing stained glass ... Northern Virginia Daily, VA - Stained Glass by Shenandoah Inc., located in Front Royal, is handling the project. Glazier Paul Tribble said the windows are being taken apart and rebuilt, ... |
How To | Jeanne Huber Washington Post, United States - You might be able to liquefy just enough of the finish to remove what's stained. Another option is to refinish or replace just the stained boards. ... |
Burglar breaks Medford church stained glass window Newsday, NY - A man smashed a Medford church's stained-glass window with a hammer and left the sanctuary in disarray in a burglary early Saturday morning, Suffolk police ... Stained glass window smashed in NY church break-in Suffolk County Man Arrested for Robbing Church Man Arrested for Burglarizing Medford Church |
Holy Family Church's stained-glass windows chronicle its past Chicago Tribune, United States - ... great-great-grandfather, James O'Shea, was among the founding members, the light shone through a stained-glass window that bears her ancestor's name. ... 'Church just oozes Chicago history' |
Daily Planner News-Leader.com, MO - Stained Glass Theatre will hold auditions on Jan. 12 for its upcoming production "In The Fullness of Time," a bilingual show written and directed by Steven ... |
 Las Vegas Sun | Stained-glass artisan carries on family’s creative tradition Las Vegas Sun, NV - Artist Christine Curtis Wilson works on her stained glass project “Desert Bloom” in her in-home studio. She will have her stained glass art on display at ... |