Many times I have entered a church just to take a peek inside, and in nearly every case, my eyes were immediately drawn to the stained-glass windows. If the architecture had been distinctive enough to create curiosity, almost assuredly I could say that the congregation had taken great pains to tell God’s story through a festival of colors and lights. Even though the pulpit or the altar might be exceedingly beautiful and symbolically meaningful, it was the stained glass pictorials, symbols and patterns that captured my attention and thoughts.
Church leaders have long known the spiritual qualities of this unique medium; actually a fusion of nature and art. Since the 11th century, churches have turned Bible stories into a visual drama, offering worshippers a “slide show” that held God’s story up to the light.
Although excellent examples of stained glass masterpieces exist in the United States prior to 1880, its greatest surge was the period of 1880-1917. These were made, primarily, by German, English, French and Italian artists creating detailed pictorial biblical scenes. Many of these artists eventually moved to America and continued their artistic trade for American churches and synagogues.
At the turn of the 20th century, American-made stained glass briefly became the world's finest when Louis Comfort Tiffany took the art to new heights. Eccentric, brilliant and wealthy, Tiffany created new forms for molding thick rippled glass using strikingly beautiful pastel colors. Unconcerned about profit, Tiffany sought to create the ultimate stained glass masterpieces – a goal he repeatedly achieved for many churches.
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The quality of American-made stained glass remained high during the '30s and '40s with the emergence of such studios as Connick, Willet, Payne and Lamb. By the half-century mark, however, an inferior product predominated as a result of (a) the passing away or retirement of the founding artists, (b) a national de-emphasis on art and craftsmanship, and (c) the church’s desire for quick property expansion rather than lasting inspiration. Although the industry remains substantially below the standards of the early 1900s, a slow resurgence of quality and care has taken place. Much of the resurgence has been in faceted glass (a thick, brilliantly colored glass fastened with epoxy). And most assuredly, leaded glass shows a healthy comeback. What are the reasons for this renewal of interest? It seems that stained glass meets some human desires and needs that are not otherwise fulfilled.
The Story – No other form of art so perfectly blends God’s great gift of light with the impact of the visualized biblical story. The stained glass scenes are often one's earliest remembrance of a church experience. Long before a child is able to absorb the verbal message, he or she can contemplate the concept told visually through stained glass.
Tradition and Heritage – So powerful is the relationship between the stained-glass window and the church, it is difficult to imagine one without the other. Recent decades have seen a valid emphasis on the church ministry rather than the church building, but the longing to have inspirational windows has helped church leaders view stained glass as a tangible ministry of its own – one that is timeless. An increasing number of new sanctuaries are being built not only for current space, but also as a heritage for future generations.
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