Stained Glass Windows we have Admired

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Stained glass, an art-form dating as far back as 675 A.D., reached its greatest prominence in North-Western Europe during the Middle Ages. One can find it in many shapes and sizes, from eye-catching scenes of various degrees of complexity that people hang in their windows today, to enormous and intricate church windows made by great artists using hundreds, or even thousands, of individual pieces of glass. Here is more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_stained_glass.

Large stained glass windows first served to educate the mostly illiterate European masses about the glories of Christianity and the official Church. They have since evolved to adorn both gothic and neo-gothic churches, some synagogues, and other government and public buildings throughout much of the northern hemisphere, although they are not abundant in southern countries. In churches they are often donated in memoriam by the families of former parishioners who have passed on. Although they used to be widely used as decorative alternatives to plain glass in public buildings, they have largely ceased to be popular for that purpose, likely due to their great expense.

Thousands of stained glass windows grace churches and public buildings all over North America. They have always fascinated me, so my wife and I make an effort to find and photograph the most interesting ones wherever we travel. It is not as easy as it may seem: you must get the windows when they are back-lighted, which often means returning on a sunnier day or waiting patiently while the sun moves slowly around the sky. Here is an article showing some interesting ones that we have found around the USA and Canada so far.

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Photos

Christchurch Frederica, Georgia (CFG) 1883
Its windows are reputed to be among the most beautiful in all America.

Catholic Cathedral Basilica (CCB), St Augustine, FL
This, and the dozen photos that follow, are from some of the many edifices in St. Augustine, FL.

Episcopal Chapel (EC) under renovation
It is a small chapel, located not far from the Presbyterian Memorial Church.

Comments

[Nanci Phelan]

Bold and Beautiful
How nice to see a collection of Stained Glass pictures Fred. I can relate to your comments about the difficulty of photographing them though church windows are more about the colours of the glass and the paint on them, rather than the texture of the glas which really needs better light. It is uplifting to see that we have so many of them in Canada as well. I like the Tiffany one in photo 15 with the flames coming out of the Chalice, reminds me of our Unitarian symbol. Tiffany is certainly the most well known master. One thing I've noticed in viewing stained glass windows is that little is ever said about the artist or his concept. When doing a piece of glass there are a lot of decisions to make to make the concept work and many physical challenges in doing each piece. Thanks for covering a topic that is near and dear to my heart. I have seen some of the places you include so it was again, nice to have a bit of a walk down memory lane.