Stained Glass

The history behind the first stained glass windows aren't known for certain, but mostly likely the technique came from jewelry making, cloisonné and mosaics. However, the stained glass windows as we know them today appear to have started showing up when substantial church building began. By the 10th century, depictions of Christ and biblical scenes were found in French and German churches and decorative designs found in England.

A plethora of stained glass windows were produced during the Gothic age in the great cathedrals of Europe. As churches became taller and lighter, walls thinned and stained glass was used to fill the increasingly larger openings in them.

Stained glass windows are often viewed as translucent pictures. Gothic stained glass windows are a complex mosaic of bits of colored glass joined with lead into an intricate pattern illustrating biblical stories and saints lives. Though medieval man experienced a window more than he read it. It made them that much more powerful.

(image from Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris begun completed c. 1250)