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Religion played a huge role in life in the Middle Ages, and they were beautiful and honored God.

Also stained glass windows usually showed scenes from Bible stories etc.This was important as most people couldnt read but could understand the pictographic representations of The Bible stories & passages.

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what did stained glass makers achieve in middle ages

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16y ago
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the purpose of stained-glass programs in Gothic cathedrals was a way to tell the Bible story to an illiterate audience.

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Q: What was the purpose of stained glass windows in the middle ages?
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Continue Learning about History of Western Civilization

Did they have glass in Medieval Times?

They had glass in ancient times, and continued to make it in the Middle Ages. In fact, there was a glass makers guild in Italy that may have predated the Middle Ages. They used glass to make stained glass windows in churches. They also invented spectacles during the Middle Ages, and there are medieval pictures of people using them for reading.


Did people have glass in Medieval Times?

Yes, the art of glass making goes back to ancient Egypt. In Egypt they made small items liked beads, vases, jewerly, but in the middle ages there were stain glass windows in churches and glass in houses.


How long does it take to make a stained glass window in the Middle Ages?

This is a complicated question, actually. The time it took to make a window could depend on its size, complexity and detail. This would affect how long it took to plan out the piece, cut the glass, stain and paint detail, and assemble and finish the final product. Even mounting the window could take time extra time, depending on whether it was going into a ground-level window or a window several stories high in a cathedral wall. The most time-consuming part of making stained glass windows in the middle ages was probably the step for painting and staining each piece of glass. If you compare the old stained glass windows to the windows made today, you'll notice much more fine painting on the glass - facial features, folds in robes, symbols, hands, etc. You can't color (or "stain") glass like you'd paint a picture on paper. For example, whenever you see a beige, yellow or gold color in Medieval stained glass, you can be sure that color was produced by painting the glass with a silver-containing chemical, then firing the glass in an oven. The more times a piece was repeatedly painted and fired, the deeper this golden color would be in the final piece. Likewise, the black lines used in details on faces, etc, had to be fired too, just like the glaze is fired on pottery. After the pieces were ready, they were assembled between strips of lead containing grooves on each side to hold the edges of glass. The area in the groove around the edge of the glass was then packed with a putty - usually a mixture of linseed oil and lead oxide, to give the window room to stretch and move as the glass and lead got hot and cold over the years. The lead strips also had to be stained with patina - a chemical that turns it a black color. Finally, the assembled piece would often be large enough to require reinforcing bars added behind the window at intervals. Since so many variables go into making a fine stained glass window, it's hard to estimate the time exactly. Still, the average single panel in an old cathedral would have taken well over 100 hours of labor, split up between however many people were working on it.


Did houses have windows in the middle ages?

Most houses had windows, but most houses did not have glass in the windows. Instead, the windows were open, and could be closed with a shutter. Many houses had window-like holes high in the walls to vent smoke from the fire on the hearth, because they had no chimney, and such vents were not closed for weather because they had to stay open for the fire. It was not what we would call cozy. Rich people, of course, had windows, and these often had glass in them.


Did they have glass cups in medievil times?

It depends who you mean by "they". Glass was not widely available during the Anglo-Saxon period, except for the most wealthy who had drinking vessels of green glass. Small bottles, beakers and other items were made of green glass through the medieval period, but it was always very expensive and out of the reach of most people - much of it was imported from the Middle East, Italy and other parts of Europe. By the late medieval period clear glass was being made, but it was still something too expensive for ordinary folk. Very little glass has survived for the medieval era, except in Church contexts where painted or stained glass was used frequently in windows. See links below for images: