When it comes to Gothic architecture, people often think of towering vaults,crisscrossingflying buttresses and various pointed arches. But when we walk into the building, we are oftenimpressed by the colorful stained glass windows, which add mystery, agility and holiness to the solemn building.
These stained glass windows are often huge in size and play the role of a part of the wall. They have extremely high artistic value. Many artists even paint and create on stained glass, which endows the glass windows with artistry. Let those classic and beautiful stained glass windows, in the millennium of history, always bloom with handed down brilliance and brewing eternal charm.
With the passage of time, stained glass windows are more and more used in various styles of buildings, and today we will take you to appreciate the most charming stained glass windows in the world. Under the illumination of sunlight and light, with the dynamic coordination of light and pattern, they present a brilliant and dazzling masterpiece.

01 Sainte Chapelle, Paris, France

La Sainte-Chapelle is a Gothic chapel on the Ile de la Cité in Paris, France. The chapel on the upper floor of the Sainte-Chapelle was built by the order of Saint Louis IX and was built between 1243 and 1248 and took three years.

The towering stained-glass windows, golden columns, golden arch ribs, blue ceiling with golden iris logo, must not be suffocating. The golden roof is set against the gorgeous stained glass, and the sacred relics of the past are enshrined here.

The 15-meter-high stained glass almost fills the entire church space, and 1,113 biblical stories are depicted in it, wrapping the story of St. Louis himself.

02 Basilica of Saint Denis, France

Cathédrale Saint-Denis, also known as Basilique Saint-Denis, is located in the small town of Saint-Denis, just north of Paris, with few tourists. But the historical status of this church is very important.

The name of the church, Saint Denis, is taken from the martyr Saint Denis. He was the first saint and first bishop of Paris, and was buried here after his martyrdom. For this reason, the monarchs and royal families of the Bourbon Dynasty chose this holy place as their resting place. For two hundred years, the Church of Saint Denis has buried dozens of kings, queens and other members of the royal family. Because of this, in the eyes of the Parisians, this church is undoubtedly one of the highest symbols of royal power.

According to legend, in the 12th century, the Saint-Denis Church suffered a fire. The restoration after the fire added a façade to the west side of the church, thus providing a lot of room for the stained glass windows, forming today's very spectacular flower window art.

03 Chartres Cathedral, France

Notre Dame Cathedral (French: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres) is located in Chartres, about 70 kilometers southwest of Paris, France. It is said that the Virgin Mary once appeared here and preserved the holy garments that Mary once wore. Chartres has therefore become one of the important Catholic Virgin Mary pilgrimage sites in Western Europe.

Chartres Cathedral is 114.6 meters high and covers an area of 5,940 square meters. The largest rose window has a diameter of 13.4 meters. It is the first fully-fledged Gothic cathedral and a representative work of the peak period of French Gothic architecture. Its architectural structure and layout have become the model for subsequent cathedrals to imitate.

The 176 stained glass windows (about 152 surviving to this day) were created between 1200 and 1235, during the same period as the reconstruction of Chartres Cathedral.

These stained glass stained glass windows are the most complete and typical medieval stained glass masterpieces in the world, revolving around biblical stories, these stained glass windows depict nearly 5,000 Byzantine-style figures, it makes the entire cathedral "a stained glass museum" —— Chartres Blue has made it the foundation and the upper limit of the same kind of art.

The bishop at the time hoped that the craftsmen could create a unique blue color on the stained glass window to represent the blue robe often worn by the Virgin in the painting-such a stained window is more worthy of the veil of the Virgin enshrined in the Cathedral of Chartres.

04 King's College Chapel

King's College is one of the most famous colleges in the University of Cambridge. It was established in 1441 by the then King Henry VI of England, hence the name "King's College".

In order to show the king's strong financial resources, the college pursued magnificent buildings at the beginning of its establishment, and the most famous of its buildings is the King's College Chapel.Its towering spires and magnificent Gothic architectural style have become the symbol and glory of the entire city of Cambridge.

The chapel's fan-vaulted ceiling, supported by 22 buttresses, was built in 1515 by the master craftsman Vastel; the crown on the west door and the coat of arms detail of the Tudor rose, reflecting Henry VIII's dream of English hegemony; 16th century The stained glass windows are all based on biblical stories.

05 Sagrada Familia

The Sagrada Familia was built in 1882, and Gaudí took over the project in 1883, incorporating his own architectural design style, Gothic and Art Nouveau styles for construction, belonging to Art Nouveau.

Above its whimsical towers and fascinating mosaics, this growing church is known for its fantastic stained glass windows.

Gaudí incorporates his own visual expressiveness and grand aesthetics, creating an open and airy interior composition through huge and colorful arched windows.

The towering and unique architectural design, gorgeous and splendid visual impression make the church a well-known tourist attraction in Barcelona.

After more than 100 years, the complex and grand project of the Sagrada Familia is still going on. Generations of designers have expressed their devotion to God or their respect to Gaudí with time and people's continuous efforts.

Light is the most spiritual element in the main sanctuary of the Sagrada Familia. Especially the long series of towering stained glass windows inlaid on the east and west side walls, one is cold and the other warm, transmits a splendid spectrum, symbolizing the sunrise and sunset, spring and autumn, as if shrouding people in a garden of Eden that rises according to imagination.

06 Lincoln Cathedral, England

Lincoln Cathedral, located in Lincolnshire, England, began in 1072 and was built in several stages throughout the Middle Ages until it was completed in 1311. Incredibly, Lincoln Cathedral held the record for the tallest building in the world for 238 years until the central spire collapsed in a storm in 1548. Like many medieval cathedrals in England, Lincoln Cathedral is in the Early Gothic style.

Lincoln Cathedral has two stained rose glass windows in the north and south, the north one is called "Dean's Eye" and the south one is called "Bishop's Eye". This south window is one of the largest curvilinear tracery (patterned in continuous curves) in medieval architecture. This form is often accomplished within arched and square windows, with circular spaces a unique challenge for designers.

When the weather is good, the sun shines through the mottled rose windows, and the scattered colors and the momentary youth bring a touch of warm tones to the cool and solemn atmosphere of the church.

07 Grossmünster

Grossmünster is an 11th-century Protestant church in Zurich, Switzerland. Although the church is of Romanesque architectural style - known for its thick walls and subsequent small windows - it prides itself on its fine stained glass. These spectacular windows were added in the 20th and 21st centuries and include striking works by Pop Art icon Sigmar Polke.

08Winchester Cathedral

Winchester Cathedral, one of the largest churches in England, is located in Winchester, Hampshire. It is also the church with the longest nave in Europe (about 160 meters long) and the longest medieval cathedral in the world.

The longest nave is lined with the most beautiful stained glass windows, designed by the Pre-Raphaelite artist, Edward Burne-Jones. From the beginning of the 14th century to the present, it has a history of nearly 700 years.

09The Chapel of Thanksgiving in Dallas

There is a three-acre mini park in downtown Dallas, Texas. Completed in 1976, the project includes an iconic spiral chapel, small water features, and a bell tower and the Ring of Gratitude at another entrance to the park.

In this seemingly inconspicuous chapel, there is the largest horizontal stained window in the world - the "Window of Glory". The revolving roof of white marble suggests an "extension of the human spirit" and also represents the diversity of different beliefs and traditions. French artist Gabriel Loire aims to express the intertwining of difficulties and joys in life through the evolution and rhythm of his colors, culminating in the radiant core of the highest point.

10Palau de la Música Catalania （Palace of Music of Catalonia）

The Palace of Music of Catalonia was designed by the famous architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner and built between 1905 and 1908. It is one of the most shocking modernist buildings in the area and is listed as a world cultural heritage.
The building is magnificent, with colorful sculptures and ceramic mosaic decorations being its most prominent features. The façade features stage arches and group sculptures that symbolize national and classical music, while the interior is designed with a spectacular ring-shaped auditorium, with a huge stained glass ceiling, mosaics and paintings that make it exceptionally beautiful.

Due to its enormous size and translucency, the Palais de la Musica is the only auditorium in Europe that is completely illuminated by natural light during the day.

The stained glass windows make the interior of the church more colorful under the sunlight, sometimes making the church look like it is bathed in a magical wonderland.
The French historian Danner wrote in his Philosophy of Art: "The light thrown from the stained glass becomes blood red, becomes the splendor of amethyst and topaz, becomes a mysterious flame of jewels, Strange lighting, like a window to heaven."

Article Source:艺术与设计

版权声明：【除原创作品外，本平台所使用的文章、图片、视频及音乐属于原权利人所有，因客观原因，或会存在不当使用的情况，如，部分文章或文章部分引用内容未能及时与原作者取得联系，或作者名称及原始出处标注错误等情况，非恶意侵犯原权利人相关权益，敬请相关权利人谅解并与我们联系及时处理，共同维护良好的网络创作环境，联系邮箱：603971995@qq.com】