Stained Glass

The stained glass in churches is more than just something pretty to look at, it was first introduced as a sort of "Poor man's Bible" for the vast majority of the people who were illiterate and did not have either education or books available. By looking at the windows, and the highly decorated walls, ordinary people could see the stories from the Bible and understand Christian teaching. The round window above is the life of St. Joseph, the smaller picture is a scene from the Last Supper of Jesus.

Today stained glass windows are used more for decoration, but in an age of video and DVD we are more used to images than words, so perhaps the purpose of the windows will remain, so that we can see the Gospel as well as hear it.