This is a photo of Sainte-Chapelle in Paris. It is arguably one of the most stunning chapels I have ever been in. Sainte-Chapelle was founded by the ultra-devout King Louis IX as a private chapel for his royal palace. It was also meant to serve as a reliquary for various holy relics which the King had collected. It was built in record time, started in 1246 and consecrated on April 26, 1248.
Sainte-Chapelle is a stunning example of French High Gothic architecture. The structural supports were kept to a bare minimum to make way for the exquisite stained glass windows. The chapel contains 6,458 square feet of stained glass. These windows illustrate 1,130 figures from the Bible from the Old Testament through the New Testament.
Interestingly enough, during the French Revolution the chapel was converted to an administrative office and the windows were obscured by enormous filing cabinets and all but forgotten. Can you believe someone covered these up?
The process of making stained glass is a time consuming one. Glass itself is made by fusing together some form of silica, an alkali material, and a lime or lead oxide. Color is produced by adding a metallic oxide to the raw materials. These materials are mixed in huge mixers and then melted in a furnace at 2500F. Each ingredient must be carefully measured and weighed in order to produce the appropriate color. The molten glass is ladled into a machine that rolls the glass flat in 1/8-inch thick sheets which are then cooled.
An artist creates the design and prepares what is called a cartoon which shows the placement of the cuts on the glass with the spacing left for the lead lines that will hold all the pieces together. The glass is usually cut by hand following the pattern. After the glass has been cut the outlines of the cartoon are painted on each piece with a special paint called vitrifiable paint and then fired in a kiln to fuse the paint to the glass. The next step is the glazing and leading of the glass. The many lead joints are then soldered and the window is waterproofed.
It can take anywhere from seven to ten weeks to create one window. Wow! What a process, all for some stained pieces of glass. Again, think about it, there is 6,458 square feet of stained glass in this chapel. All that beauty, all that painstakingly difficult hard work covered up and forgotten. The other interesting fact is that this was built as a private chapel for the Palace, which meant even when it was first in use, most people were never allowed to see or share in it's magnificence. That seems like such a shame.
One more interesting tidbit about stained glass in general. While the glass and the lead are beautiful by themselves, what really makes them stand out, what really turns them from something simply pretty to something that is stunningly heart stopping is illumination.
So, make the jump with me here and lets talk about us, our human selves. I think that most of us would consider ourselves somewhat "stained" by life. We are colored by our life experiences, pain, hurts, fears, joys, heartache, sins, good deeds, all of it has left a mark or a stain on us. And all of those stains combine to make us who we are. They are the pieces of glass that make up the whole of our window.
If you are walking around, feeling stained by life, I want to take this time to just encourage you today. All of those stains, all of of that mishmash of color, when illuminated can become something beautiful. I can assure you, that even if you are looking at your stained self, and thinking that no one could possible find you beautiful, God sees a different picture. He sees the masterpiece that will be revealed when light is added. Don't let life hide your beauty by piling up enormous filing cabinets in front of you. I encourage you to remove those barriers and let God's love shine down on you. You might be surprised at the exquisite colors that are revealed with a little bit of illumination. We are all stained. But it's the stains that bring color, and when illuminated correctly, those stains can produce beauty.
One final nugget of information to note; while most of the windows all bear the same shape, the designs in each window are different, thus making each window unique. I'll leave you with a few verses from Isaiah and a few more photos of this stunning chapel, which was restored in the 19th century and opened for all to come and view the beauty of illuminated stains.
"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. The Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy.. Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end."" Isaiah 60:1, 2, 5, 20
