29/01/12

stained glass windows

"Stained glass" is the term used for pieces of colored glass joined together by strips of lead to form a picture or design. Stained glass is most often used for windows, because the beauty of the glass is best seen when light passes through it.

The process of coloring glass was probably invented in ancient Egypt. But it was during the Middle Ages that the making of stained-glass windows developed as a major art. Stained-glass windows were an important feature of churches built in the Gothic style, which first arose in the mid-1100's. The windows filled the church interiors with light and color, delighting worshipers with their beauty.

The windows were not only beautiful; they also served an educational purpose. During the Middle Ages, the church was the center of learning. There were few books, and only a handful of people could read. The designs in the first stained-glass windows usually depicted scenes from the Bible. Such scenes were important tools in teaching Christian beliefs to the people. In later years, workers' guilds and wealthy merchants paid for windows that glorified not only saints and kings but the donors themselves

New methods of production and ideas of design have changed the appearance of stained glass. But one thing has never changed: the magic effect of sunlight pouring through colored glass.>