Dr. E.C. Fulcher, Jr.

I recently had a conversation with someone who made a comment about a church in Harford County that had stained glass windows. The comment actually took me by surprise as I had thought this person to be somewhat intelligent, but what they said made me second guess that. They made a statement to the effect that the church had stained glass windows and therefore must be hiding something or doing something illegal. I asked if they had ever gone to that church or knew anyone that did, and their response was no, but that they just knew. I was very shocked at the rationale behind this statement as I had always seen stained glass windows in churches across the country and never would have thought that secrecy or illegal activity was the reason. Because of this, I decided to do a little research and find out what the stained glass window thing was truly about.

Historically the purpose of stained glass windows was not to allow people to see outside but to beautify buildings, control light, and oftentimes to tell a story. Many believe that stained glass was first created by ancient Egyptians and/or the Romans, both of whom largely excelled in the making of small colored glass objects. During the Medieval period, stained glass window making flourished, reaching its peak during the Gothic period, in which stained glass windows were used in cathedrals; stained glass window making persisted into the Renaissance period, but declined at the end of this period. Today, there has been a revival in the popularity of stained glass.

The origins of stained glass are not certain, but ancient Egyptians were probably the first people to discover glass while making their vessels; the oldest examples of man-made glass are Egyptian colored glass beads from around 2700 BC. Stained glass windows were first used by well-to-do Romans in their homes in the first century AD. Early examples of stained glass windows can also be found in some of the palaces and mosques in the Middle East. In Jarrow, England at St. Paul’s Monastery, some of the oldest pieces of a stained glass window from 686 AD were found; the earliest stained glass piece presenting a picture is the head of Christ from the 10^th century, discovered at the Lorsch Abbey in Germany.

The stained glass windows that are familiar today did not come about until the 10^th century, with the construction of Gothic cathedrals. The oldest complete stained glass windows were those of Augsburg Cathedral in Germany, constructed in the late 11^th century. The Medieval church funded most of the stained glass windows of the time. Abbot Suger of Saint-Denis was a famous patron of stained glass art and lived just outside of Paris. He used the wealth of the abbey to make windows larger and more beautiful because he considered light the manifestation of God himself. Subjects of stained glass windows being made during this time were mostly religious in nature and served to tell Biblical stories to laypeople that could not read, as well as beautifying the churches. It has been speculated that the stained glass windows probably had a more profound impact on the people than the sermons themselves. Some of the windows used obscure symbolic icons that scholars of today study to learn about the daily life of the time. Gothic windows were generally tall and spear-, wheel-, or rose-shaped. A good example of Gothic stained glass windows is those of the Notre Dame chapel, which holds one of the largest rose-shaped windows in the world. 

Between the Renaissance and the mid-19^th century, stained glass windows fell from favor. This was largely due to changes within religious norms of the time – the church had been the supporter of the arts, and the new Protestants did not believe in fancy artwork and decoration. By 1640, stained glass was rare and only small panels featuring heraldry were used for homes and city halls. The English Parliament demanded all images of the Virgin Mary and the Trinity be removed from churches, so many stained glass windows were smashed by fanatic vandals. The destruction only stopped because it was too costly to replace the windows. Stained glass window making became a lost art.

It wasn’t until the mid-19^th century that the interest in Gothic style was revived all over Europe and in the United States. Artists sought to recreate the lost technique of medieval stained glass windows. John La Farge and Louis Comfort Tiffany were makers of stained glass during the Art Nouveau period and created opalescent, confetti, drapery, and ridged glass. The windows of Louis Comfort Tiffany, Marc Chagall, and Frank Lloyd Wright are fine examples of modern stained glass windows. This revival was cut short by the depression of the 1930s and 1940s, which was then followed by WWII. In the last thirty years, interest in stained glass windows has again been revived. Select fine art programs within colleges and universities teach the art of making stained glass and many individual artists have flourished. Stained glass making is also a very popular hobby.

Given this history and the revival in stained glass windows, it is not surprising that a goodly number of churches across the world have them.  The church in Harford County is not alone in the appreciation of this art form.  Since the building is a church, the faux stained glass windows add a certain theological air and in many respects take the place of a sign. 

While this may be the historical and religious side to having stained glass windows, there is also a very practical side as well. Most churches these days video live or record their services. In order to do this, there is a need for windows to be covered. A lot of people don’t realize what goes into recording a live performance.

As anyone who has ever attended a Church service that is being recorded or watched on the internet will realize, the sanctuary is, in effect, a TV studio.  For the moment, try not to think of the main room as a church with a pulpit and pews, but as a theater with a stage and audience.  Almost everyone has seen the star of a talk show like ELLEN or WENDY come off the stage and go into the audience to talk with or interview the people there.  Those instances give the viewers the impression that the entire area is bathed in equal light.  But that is not the case.  What you have in reality is a stage covered with floodlights and an audience sitting in relative darkness until the MC goes into the audience and the house lights are turned up to accommodate the cameras.

And that is the key: the cameras.  Like the human eye, the camera has a lens that allows light to enter and be recorded.  This brings us back to the blocked windows in the church sanctuary.  In order to video the service correctly, the light must be balanced and even.  Think of it this way – if you walk into a dimly lit room from the bright outside, you are momentarily blinded by the dark until your eyes adjust to the new area of light.  A camera operates the same way.  If the windows were not shielded and a bright object passed in front of one near a camera, the camera would automatically dim to accommodate the new light thus dimming what was happening on the stage.  Sun, reflection, a cloud… there are all kinds of events that could vary the light coming in through a window that would affect the camera which would affect what someone watching on TV would see.  Can you imagine how irritating it would be to watch a show which was constantly going from light to dark indiscriminately? 

So while there is a very rich history in the art and usage of stained glass windows, there is also a very practical and very necessary reason for windows not being clearly visible. Neither of which involve anything sinister or illegal. I wish people would empower themselves with knowledge before speaking aloud. It seems to be that the ones with the least amount of knowledge about a particular situation are always the ones with the loudest comments on the topic. I prefer facts not feelings.

Written by Eric B. Ruark and Tanya J. Tillman