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Stained Glass Research Paper

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History of Stained Glass Unlike the function of the ordinary windows that we know today, which is “to allow a view of the outside and admit light into a building; the purpose of medieval stained-glass windows is not to allow people to see outside, but to beautify buildings, control light, and often times to tell a story” (Herren, n.d.). History offers two accounts of the origin of glass; one from a legend about the accidental discovery of glass by the Phoenician sailors and the second, points to another accidental discovery of glass by the Egyptian or Mesopotamian potters (Stained Glass.org.). Of the two positions, the Egyptian’s origin was found to be more “scientifically reliable” (Stained Glass.org.). Furthermore, the Egyptians were …show more content…

It must be noted, however, that it was Theophilus, a twelfth-century monk who gave us the first detailed description of “stain glass as an art form” (History of Stained Glass, 2013). Stained glass, as an art eventually became popular during the medieval period, Stained-glass windows were created for the Roman Catholic Church, and often told Bible stories in pictures. This was at a time when most people couldn’t read, so these luminous paintings were one of the few representations of the glory and transcendent nature of their spiritual beliefs (History of Stained Glass, 2013). During the reign of King Louis VI of France, Suger, the Abbott of Saint-Denis became the close advisor to the king. It was Suger’ strong allegiance to the king of France that inspired him to create a “new kind of architecture to reinforce the divine right of the king’s authority and enhance the spirituality of his church” (Adams, 2011, p. 198). “The metaphysics of light in the Middle Ages led to clerical belief in its divinity and the importance of its display in holy settings” (Wikipedia,

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