Famous Examples Of Stained Glass Windows

​Famous Examples Of Stained Glass Windows
By [http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Michael_O_Johansson/1463010]Michael O Johansson 

Stained glass windows continue to excite and enthral us and despite them having been around for centuries, they still carry the x-factor when it comes to world-class window design.

Outlined here are a few samples of the very best in both early and contemporary stained glass windows.

The first example is at the La Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, France. This beautiful structure is a gothic chapel, of royal heritage and was built during the medieval period. Within its stunning walls lay fifteen stained glass windows that truly take the breath away. Each window features immaculate scenes from the Bible, painstakingly crafted and are still in fine condition. A circular Rose window was added later, but is still an ancient artefact from the 1400's. The scale and size of these windows is what set them apart. This, coupled with their age, makes the windows at La Sainte-Chapelle something quite unique.

For pure originality and wonder, then look no further than the Mapparium building in Boston, USA. This features a simply huge globe of stained glass that dominates the Science Centre in the city. To get an idea of the scale of the piece, it is three stories high, and has a bridge that bisects the structure. Visitors can then walk through the globe and experience a unique 3-d perspective. The globe represents Earth and has maps of the continents and countries crafted onto the design.

For some of the finest and also earliest examples of stained glass windows, then the Augsburg Cathedral in Germany ranks very high indeed. This building dates back to the 11th century, and many of the window panels date from this time too. The stained glass shows several scenes from the Bible and is a fascinating look at the early history of window making. The cathedral has had some restoration work done to it, due to bombing in World War II, but today it stands as a telling monument to those that conceived its fine masonry nearly a thousand years ago.

Finally, the title of the world's largest stained glass window belongs to the resurrection Cemetery in Justice, Illinois, USA. Depicting stories from the Bible, these huge panels wrap around the chapel, taking up two floors. It may not be subtle or ancient, but it is a sight to behold nonetheless.

There are so many extraordinary sights of stained glass windows from all around the world. It still dominates churches and chapels and creates a sense of awe in us that cannot be recreated. http://www.floatglassdesign.co.uk/index.php http://www.floatglassdesign.co.uk/downloads.php

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