Quite the photos TB. Can remember attending Sunday services and looking at stained glass windows in my church. Wished one adult had thought to take Sunday schools classes around the nave where all those windows were to explain what was depicted in the glass.
Nylon12 - One of the great loss in modern church buildings is almost none of them have stained glass. It is quite a loss.
Like you, I grew up in a church with stained glass - and like you, I do not remember anyone walking us through them. Some of these are quite elaborate.
Our church had large stained glass windows like those but were covered in protective plastic panels that had yellowed and darkened with time and thus made the stained glass dim and not very pretty. Finally they decided to hold a fund raising campaign to replace the plastic panels with newer non-yellowing stuff and give the windows a good cleaning at the same time. People were jostling after it was announced in mass to sponsor a window financially and within 10 minutes, they had raised enough money to do every window in the church. I still admire those beautiful stained glass windows every Sunday and try and remember how unremarkable they were less than a decade ago.
Ed, they are redoing the stained glass windows in the main Catholic church in my home town. Like you, the before and after observations are amazing and heartwarming.
How nice to hear of people "jostling" to preserve a part of history.
The windows are worthy of their own post. Stained glass is always so impressive and something we don't see much in new church construction. Although I've seen the stained glass at Second Baptist Church in Houston. That was really impressive, as was their organ.
Leigh - I agree, both with them being their own post and the fact that we do not see them in new church construction much. Part of that is I think the building of a church as a specific building has dwindled greatly; most "newer" churches I see are either in light industrial parks or strip malls (where they can get space) or large concrete monstrosities.
Comments are welcome (and necessary, for good conversation). If you could take the time to be kind and not practice profanity, it would be appreciated. Thanks for posting!
Quite the photos TB. Can remember attending Sunday services and looking at stained glass windows in my church. Wished one adult had thought to take Sunday schools classes around the nave where all those windows were to explain what was depicted in the glass.
ReplyDeleteNylon12 - One of the great loss in modern church buildings is almost none of them have stained glass. It is quite a loss.
DeleteLike you, I grew up in a church with stained glass - and like you, I do not remember anyone walking us through them. Some of these are quite elaborate.
Our church had large stained glass windows like those but were covered in protective plastic panels that had yellowed and darkened with time and thus made the stained glass dim and not very pretty. Finally they decided to hold a fund raising campaign to replace the plastic panels with newer non-yellowing stuff and give the windows a good cleaning at the same time. People were jostling after it was announced in mass to sponsor a window financially and within 10 minutes, they had raised enough money to do every window in the church. I still admire those beautiful stained glass windows every Sunday and try and remember how unremarkable they were less than a decade ago.
ReplyDeleteEd, they are redoing the stained glass windows in the main Catholic church in my home town. Like you, the before and after observations are amazing and heartwarming.
DeleteHow nice to hear of people "jostling" to preserve a part of history.
The windows are worthy of their own post. Stained glass is always so impressive and something we don't see much in new church construction. Although I've seen the stained glass at Second Baptist Church in Houston. That was really impressive, as was their organ.
ReplyDeleteLeigh - I agree, both with them being their own post and the fact that we do not see them in new church construction much. Part of that is I think the building of a church as a specific building has dwindled greatly; most "newer" churches I see are either in light industrial parks or strip malls (where they can get space) or large concrete monstrosities.
Delete