The study of stained glass in places of worship:
A project for Key Stage 2 pupils that aims to introduce pupils to stained
glass windows in sacred buildings as a prime source of information and
to support the development of key skills and cross curricular learning.
M Richardson Llandaff Cathedral 2007
Art in Religious Buildings –Stained Glass
Introduction for teachers.
Stained glass windows provide an interesting and creative learning
resource for pupils who are researching the history of the local
church and its community. Windows provide opportunities to
research the tenets and beliefs of the religious faith engaged in the
building, give information on the artists who designed and produced
the windows and to provide a background of social history found in
the life and work of the people who are commemorated in the
erection of the windows. Local places of worship will have
information about the windows in the building to help plan the
learning experience for the pupils.
This learning resource uses the thinking about thinking approach to learning following
Bloom’s Taxonomy for categorising questions. Pupils are encouraged to manage their own
learning from information presented in a creative setting.
The major aims of the project are for pupils to gain information about stained glass
windows by using a specific learning structure that engages them in their own wondering
and questioning and enables them to make their own independent research.
Use the following structure;
Ask pupils to look at a chosen stained glass window and follow this approach to thinking
and learning;
to wonder at the window design and pictorial representation;
to say what they already know about any aspect of the window;
to express how they feel about what they can see;
to establish what they want to know ;
think about how they can use what they know to find out more ;
to think about the skills they need to use to solve the challenge they have identified and
engaged with
to generalise thinking from given facts and ideas;
to make choices based on reasoned argument;
to create an outcome of learning in their own way;
to ask why they have followed this way of thinking;
to ask themselves if their idea of how to solve their problem is working.
to ask themselves if they have solved the problem and found out the information they wanted
to achieve;
Information for pupils
Art in Religious Buildings
Stained Glass Windows
Why do we have stained glass windows?
Stained glass windows are found in many places of worship all over the world.
They are set into the walls of religious buildings to let in the light and to make a
beautiful decoration to the glory of God.
Historically, the main purpose of stained glass windows in churches was to teach
people the stories from the Christian faith in pictorial form.
Windows that have a picture of a story from the Bible or a beautiful design help
us to create in ourselves an idea or feeling about what we see.
Stained glass windows are erected to mark a special occasion or commemorate
someone who has made a special contribution to the community.
What do we know about stained glass?
Glass has been made since the third millennium BC. The Romans used it to
make windows and to decorate pieces of artwork. There is evidence of the use of
glass found in the remains of Roman sites in Italy, France and Britain
It is believed that stained glass has been used in England for at least thirteen
hundred years; this is supported by the remains of church glass which have been
found in excavations of monasteries in Monkwearmouth and Jarrow. The earliest
reference to stained glass is from 675 when Benedict Biscop brought workers
from France to make windows for the monastery of St Peter at Monkwearmouth
Stained glass was made by adding various metallic oxides to the melted glass.
This gave the glass different colours. The molten glass was then blown and
shaped into sheets of different colours. A similar method of making glass is used
today.
By the twelfth century stained glass windows became an important aspect of
church buildings and they enhanced the church with light and colour. The stained
glass designs were often representations of the Old Testament stories and
scenes from the life of Christ.
There are still some examples of beautiful Mediaeval glass to be found in a few
churches, but the destruction of stained glass church windows in the 16th century
by Henry V111 because their designs were seen to represent the power of the
Catholic faith, means that most of the beautiful stained glass art of that time was
destroyed.
However, this method of sharing the stories, tenets and beliefs of the Christian
faith has carried on to present day. There are many, many churches where one
can find examples of beautiful stained glass windows, both old and new, that
present pictures and designs that tell us more about the Christian faith.
The placement of a stained glass window in a church is a very special occasion
which is celebrated and recorded. A stained glass window is often erected in a
church to honour someone who was a good Christian and helped people in the
community. If you look closely at a window you can usually find the name of the
person to whom the window is dedicated
Family members are also remembered by their relatives by placing a memorial
window to them in the church. You can see their names and who has dedicated
the window to them written on or near the window.
Decorated windows are expensive to make so people who want to make a
commitment to the Christian faith will often pay for a window. Their names are
usually placed on or near the window so that it is known who presented the
window to the church.
Stained glass windows are placed in other buildings as well as in churches
Windows in civic buildings present the heraldic designs of cities and towns and
stand as symbols of the wealth and industry of the town.
Wealthy house owners had stained glass in their homes as a symbol of their
wealth and to decorate their home. People today have stained glass windows to
decorate their homes. As you walk around you can see houses with stained
glass in the walls of their houses.
Finding out about windows in a place of worship.
In this building you can see many stained glass windows,
choose one that you like and look carefully at all the things
the artist has pictured in the window.
Find out about your picture by asking yourself some questions.
Here are some questions to help you.
What can I see in this window?
Who can I see in the window?
Describe what I see in my own words.
So what do I already know about this window?
What else do I need to find out about this window?
How can I do that?
What new information have I found out about the picture?
Stained Glass Windows
Work Sheet 1
Find out; Who are the people you can see in the window? Find out more
about their story
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Questions
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Who can I see in this window?
In my own words, describe what I know about the people in this window
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What do I feel about the people in this window?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------What more do I want to find out?
What can I do to find out more?
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Use the computer
Ask an adult
Look for a book about this story
Look it up in the Bible or other Holy Book
Work with a friend
Look in other parts of the building which may help you
to know more about the window.
Look back and find out what you knew at the beginning of this research.
Write down what you know now.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What have you learned from this activity?
Follow up work:
Design a stained glass window for a place of worship
See children’s art work inspired by big questions in RE e.g. Where is heaven?
www.natre.org.uk/spiritedarts/index.php
(art competition run by Christian Aid)