Gothic Stained Glass Windows Were Constructed

If you ve ever admired the stained glass windows in an old church you were enjoying colorful expressions of faith that developed during medieval times in europe.

Gothic stained glass windows were constructed.

Stained glass windows were a. Abbot suger who considered that light was a manifestation of the divine installed colorful windows in the ambulatory of basilica of saint denis and they were featured in all the major cathedrals in france england and the rest of europe. During medieval times stained glass windows were made from a combination of sand and potash wood ash. Most structural developments were designed to support the addition of more stained glass windows throughout cathedrals.

The two most common styles of stained glass windows made for gothic cathedrals were the tall spear shaped lancet windows and circular rose windows. Detail of stained glass windows in chartres cathedral chartres france. The medieval church funded most of the stained glass windows of the time. Stained glass windows were a prominent feature of the gothic church and cathedral from the beginning.

As soon as the gothic style acquire some popularity and a large number of churches cathedrals and monasteries were built in different european capitals the traditional fresco painting was declining as to be the medium of choice to decorate the walls since these had been in that period largely replaced by huge multicolored stained glass windows. The term rose window was coined around the 17th century because of the way the windows were constructed in a circular. Stained glass windows are a prominent feature in many churches and gothic architects held them in the highest regard. The two most common styles of stained glass windows made for gothic cathedrals were the tall spear shaped lancet windows and circular rose windows.

In order to color the glass powdered metals were added into the molten heated mixture before it cooled. One purpose of stained glass is to serve as a source of meditation drawing the viewer into a contemplative state. Making medieval stained glass windows for gothic architecture was dangerous work performed by guild craftsmen who combined alchemy nano science and theology. These two ingredients were heated to the point where they d liquify and become glass when cooled.

French gothic stained glass windows were an important feature of french gothic architecture particularly cathedrals and churches built between the 12th century and 16th century while stained glass had been used in french churches in the romanesque period the gothic windows were much larger eventually filling entire walls. The oldest complete stained glass windows were those of augsburg cathedral in germany constructed in the late 11 th century.