What Do The Stained Glass Windows On Your Fort Collins Church Signify?
Stained Glass And Its Symbolic Meanings
We are lucky enough here in Fort Collins, to have quite a bit of lovely stained glass. All around our wonderful city, churches, and chapels large and small, have some of the most outstanding stained glass in the country to grace our houses of God. But, what many people may not know is–stained glass here in Fort Collins and around the world actually has extremely deep meaning in its symbols and colors. In fact, most stained glass on churches is symbolic of other deeper spiritual concepts. So, besides being awe-inspiring, stained glass has meaning too. If you want to understand what the stained glass in your Fort Collins church represents, read below to find out more.
Why Symbols And Colors Were Used On Stained Glass
In churches here in Fort Collins, and around the world too, the symbols on wood carvings, tapestries and stained glass have meaning. While stained glass windows were made to be magnificent, they also had a dual purpose as an education tool. In the Gothic times, poor people were unable to read, so the churches by using pictures, symbols, and colors, were able to educate the commoners by using stained glass much like a picture book. In fact, stained glass windows were called “ The Bible of the Poor” due to the fact they were so heavily involved in instructing illiterate peasants. However, even after reading became the norm, these symbols, and colors, already established in their meaning, continued until this day to be used to convey specific spiritual messages.
Common Stained Glass Symbols And Colors And Their Meaning
Jesus: Lifelike images, crosses, lambs, shepherds
The Holy Spirit: flames, winds, a white dove
The Saints: a man or woman; symbols associated with them, the manner in which they were martyred him or her
Virgin Mary: A female figure often wearing blue, the color blue
Stained Glass Color Symbolism
Black: Death
Blue: Heavenly Love, Virgin
Brown: Death
Grey: Mourning, Humility
Green: Spring, Charity, Life over death
Purple: Royalty God The Father
Red: Love, Hate, Martyred
Violet: Love, Truth, Passion, Suffering
White/Gold: Innocence, Holiness
Yellow: Jealousy, Treason, Deceit
If your Fort Collins church has stained glass that you would like to restore, repair and ultimately preserve for the next generation, contact us at Fort Collins Stained Glass today!
Martin Faith
Martin's work has been spotlighted on HGTV, the DIY Network, CBS, NBC, and numerous media outlets. He is one of the most accomplished stained glass artisans of his time and the proud owner of Fort Collins Stained Glass. He has dedicated his entire life's career to sharing his love of stained glass with others and is an expert on its origin, manufacturing process, and history. In addition to creating custom stained glass for homes and commercial businesses, Martin also acts as a consultant for church restoration projects. Drawing on his own research and ongoing education as well as the skills that he attained while working as a glass artisan in Scotland, Martin helps property owners identify the best styles and options of stained glass for achieving their aesthetic and architectural goals. His company has been in business for over thirty years and has successfully executed over 50,000 projects.
