Holy Empire Stained Glass Series

Stained glass is a common decorative technique in Gothic churches in medieval Europe. By adding different oxidized metals in the glass production process, the glass produces various colors. When the outdoor sunlight enters the room through the stained glass, it can produce rich light changes and spatial atmosphere inside the church. Although stained glass is the main feature of Gothic churches, its appearance is much earlier than that of Gothic churches. According to the narratives of ancient documents, stained glass ornaments have appeared in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. At the latest in the first century, the ancient Romans had used stained glass for windows, but the color at that time The glass is not too regular and not too transparent. According to archaeological evidence, the churches in the early Middle Ages have begun to use stained glass as a performance. For example, in the famous Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, northern Italy, archaeologists have unearthed three pieces of stained glass with Jesus and a cross-shaped light wheel on it, and Jesus is standing on two The Greek letter A (symbolizes the beginning) and Ω (symbolizes the end). It is speculated that this group of stained glass may be used on the windows, and the date is about 540 AD, which is the same as the construction of the church. The early cases of stained glass used in churches are not only in Italy, the ancient St. Paul's Monastery (686 AD) in Jarrow, England, but many fragments of ancient stained glass were also excavated. Romanesque churches in the Middle Ages in Europe used more stained glass. However, the walls of Romanesque buildings are generally thick and the windows are usually small, so the form of stained glass is more limited. In the same period, more delicate stained glass was used in the construction of Islamic mosques. However, due to the Islamic belief, these stained glass can only use geometric or plant patterns. Therefore, the changes in stained glass have also been developed in the Islamic world. Be limited. Stained glass has truly become one of the main manifestations of religious architecture, and it should be the age of Gothic churches in the Middle Ages in Europe. Compared with imitation Romanesque churches, Gothic churches have a more breakthrough development in architectural structure and structure. The building no longer uses an arch structure with restricted shapes and scales, but further uses pointed arches plus the structural elements of flying buttresses, so the building has a towering volume. The burden structure of the outer wall body can also be reduced a lot. This means that large glass windows can begin to appear in Gothic church buildings. Based on the long-term development in the past, stained glass finally appeared the most expressive in the Gothic church. Gothic church architecture originated in Paris, France, such as Chartres Cathedral (12-13th centuries), Notre-Dame de Paris (12-14th centuries), and Sainte-Dame de Paris (12-14 centuries). Chapelle, 13th century) and so on, all have gorgeous and delicate stained glass. There are various religious figures and themes on the stained glass of Gothic churches, such as Jesus Christ, John the Baptist, Virgin Mary, apostles, martyrs, saints and so on. If the Byzantine church mainly uses mosaics as the artistic expression of the interior architectural facets, then the Gothic churches use stained glass. Gothic churches often have stained glass in the form of rose windows on the main entrance on the west side, on the facade of the south or north wing. For example, in Chartres Cathedral, the theme of the rose window above the main entrance on the west side of the church is "the Last Judgment." This may be related to the theological meaning of the orientation and configuration of the church: when the day of judgment comes, God It will descend from the east, and after the dead are resurrected, they will enter from the west. God and the judged will meet in the church. Since most of the Christians in the Middle Ages were illiterate, they could not read the Bible by themselves and learn about important biblical characters and allusions. Stained glass became one of the best sources for them to understand their faith. Therefore, stained glass is also nicknamed "Poor Man's Bible" (Poor Man's Bible). In the ages after Gothic architecture in the Middle Ages, stained glass was still in use, but with the changes in church architecture and spatial form, the role of stained glass was no longer as important as it used to be. In the second half of the 16th century, due to the rise of the Protestant Reformed power in the Netherlands, they opposed the Roman Catholic Church and regarded the art of various icons as idolatry. Therefore, they destroyed icon sculptures, frescoes and stained glass on a large scale, so that the Netherlands Many existing old churches have only clear glass but no stained glass. After the destruction of the war, many churches reappeared on stained glass in modern art forms after the war, such as de stijl, expressionism and even postmodernist symbolism. To this day, the creation of stained glass continues to appear in newly built churches around the world, and there are specialized schools to teach and study the creation and technology of various stained glass, and stained glass and Christian churches have been regarded as the most traditional Christian church architecture. The important part.