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Stained glass windows have been used in churches since the 10th century and are an outgrowth of the use of mosaics in the early churches. But it is only with the introduction of the Gothic style of architecture in the 12th century that the art came to it's maturity. As Gothic churches became taller and lighter, and the walls thinned, stained glass was used to fill the increasingly larger openings.
The original use of stained glass was to bring into what had been dark naves in Romanesque churches the brilliance of heavenly light; a foretaste of heaven. By the 15th century the scenes and figures that made up these windows became more prominent, performing another function in bringing the stories of the Bible and message of the Gospel to a largely illiterate population. Given that most of the clergy of the time were indifferent preachers, these windows provided the preaching of the Gospel in a manner understandable to people regardless of their tongue or level of education. While the fine art of homiletics is significantly more widespread among our clergy today, stained glass windows continue to bring us rays of heavenly light and tell the story of the saints and the Gospel.
St. Andrew's arrangement of windows is unusual inasmuch as it tells a continuous story of the life of Christ, beginning with the Annunciation and ending with Pentecost. Pictures of the Archangels, Saints from the New Testament and Prophets from the Old Testament flank each of the events in Christ's life. The Evangelist I windows are in the St. Nicholas Chapel . The Evangelist II windows are in the left side of the narthex. The windows in the next 12 pages tell the story of Christ arranged as they exist in the church, beginning on the south side, near the chapel, and proceeding counter-clockwise. The Agnus Dei Window is over the altar and was in the original church. The Te Deum window is at the rear of the church. The last page contains the 24 windows depicting various Christian symbols. These windows flank the stories of Christ. |