12. Abbot Suger presenting
Tree of Jesse Window, c.
1081-1151
Abbey Church of St. Denis
Inspired by the mystical significance of light
Lux nova - “new light”
13. Romanesque interior:
1. Stone barrel vaults
2. Thick walls/piers
3. Small windows
Nave, Saint Sernin, Toulouse,
France, c. 1070-1120
14. Suger’s new church was flooded with light, filtered through colored glass
15.
16. “Stained glass windows are the Holy Scriptures . . . And since their brilliance lets the
splendor of the True Light pass into the church, they enlighten those inside.”
Hugh of Saint-Victor
“The glass windows in a church are Holy Scripture, which expel the wind and
rain, that is, all things hurtful, but transmit the light of the True sun, that is, God,
into the hearts of the faithful.”
William Durandus, Bishop of Medes
17. The problem: how to support huge walls made of nothing but glass
46. Lux Nova
The quest for height was connected
to the quest for light
More height meant more stained
glass windows, and the heavenly
light of god
Abbot Suger presenting Tree of Jesse Window, c. 1081-1151
Abbey Church of St. Denis
47.
48.
49. Notre Dame De La Belle Verriere,
Stained-glass window 12th century
Chartres Cathedral, Chartres,
France
Like many Gothic cathedrals, Chartres was dedicated to “Notre Dame” - “Our Lady”
50. The tunic of the virgin was the most prized relic at Chartres
52. Bibles for the Poor
Stained glass windows and
sculptural decorations served as a
“bible for the poor”
53. Bibles for the Poor
They provided visual narrations of
the life of Mary and Christ for a
largely illiterate population
South Side of Choir Window: Life of the Virgin, 12th century
Chartres Cathedral, Chartres, France
64. The French monarchy claimed to be descended from the biblical kings depicted on the
window
65. The Rose Window at Chartres
functioned as a form of “corporate
sponsorship”
It enhanced the power of the
monarchy by claiming kinship with
the kings in the bible
Rose Window and Lancets, North transept, Chartres
Cathedral, c. 1220
66. Trade Windows
Trade guilds also donated windows
•Furriers
•Drapers
•Vintners
•Shoemakers
Furriers, Story of Noah, Chartres Cathedral, c. 1220
Image sources:
http://www.paradoxplace.com/Photo%20Pages/France/Chartres/Chartres_Window_Donors/Chartr
es_Window_Donors.htm
67. Trade Windows
There are 43 building trades
represented on the windows at
Chartres
Masons, Stonecutters, and Sculptors, The St. Chevron Window, Chartres Cathedral, c. 1220
Image sources:
http://www.paradoxplace.com/Photo%20Pages/France/Chartres/Chartres_Window_Donors/Chartr
es_Window_Donors.htm
68. Trade Windows
The trade windows reflect the
importance of the cathedral to the
economic life of the city
Wheelwright, Story of Noah, Chartres Cathedral, c. 1220
Image sources:
http://www.paradoxplace.com/Photo%20Pages/France/Chartres/Chartres_Window_Donors/Chartr
es_Window_Donors.htm