The Timeless Beauty of Stained Glass

The decorative use of colored glass in windows and interior screens is a long-established art form. It was highly developed in antiquity in the Orient. Its employment in the churches of Christendom goes back at least to the fifth century, and in synagogues probably earlier than that. Intricate glass mosaics have been a specialty of Muslim designers since the Middle Ages. With the introduction of pictorial glass, long before the age of printing, windows devoted to sacred themes became an important and effective means of religious instruction. Despite its common name, most colored glass is not stained but acquires its hue in the molten state by the addition of metallic oxides. The variety of shades and other effects possible, some achieved by influencing the degree of light transmission or refraction, is almost unlimited. Different results are also created by the two methods of forming the sheets of glass: hand-blowing and machine-rolling. On these pages we offer examples of some of the many splendid stained glass windows that grace churches in Arizona. Tucson's St. Augustine Cathedral displays the stained glass images (LEFT) of Augustine and his mother, St. Monica, created originally for La Iglesia de San Agustin in 1868. The great west window (RIGHT) of Church of the Beatitudes, Phoenix, is faceted glass 53 feet high. The window, by Jim Gangwer of Judson Studios, Los Angeles, depicts in the folds of Jesus' robe the faces of men and women whose lives have reflected the qualities described in the Beatitudes. Among them are Jane Addams, Albert Einstein, and George Washington Carver.

At St. Philip's in the Hills, Tucson, an unusual crossshaped window designed by Dominique Bonamour-Lloyd (ABOVE) bears the signs of St. Philip. The Holy Assumption of Mary (RIGHT) is portrayed in classic style in St. Mary's Basilica, Phoenix. The window was begun in 1913 by Emil Frei, a student of the eminent German stained glass artist Franz Zettler, and installed on New Year's Eve, 1914. Brophy Chapel in Phoenix contains a series of windows incorporating symbols rather than buman figures. The chalice and host motif (RIGHT), by Katherine O'Brien, represents the holy sacrifice of the Mass.

Another design at Brophy Chapel (LEFT), by A. E. Childs, represents with a butterfly the resurrection of the body. An elaborate rosette pattern (RIGHT), by Arthur Y. Park of Judson Studios, exploits colorful glass in Central United Methodist Church, Phoenix. Valley View Bible Church's large east window develops the theme of redemption. Artist Maurine McGuire of Scottsdale purposely left the facial features of Jesus indistinct since "each of us carries in bis heart his own portrait of the Master."

First Presbyterian Church of Phoenix contains windows designed by Judson Studios, such as this depiction of St. John the Apostle (LEFT). The Glendale Seventh-Day Adventist Church displays "Third Angel's Message" (RIGHT), a glass re-creation of a Book of Revelations passage, by Glidden Parker.

PHOTOGRAPHS OF STAINED GLASS BY JERRY JACKA, DICK DIETRICH, DAVID BURCKHALTER, AND JEANNE S. BROOME.

A series of portraits (LEFT) by Herbert Meinke of Judson Studios, in the Life Center of the Beatitudes Campus of Care, Phoenix, includes heroes of the Old Testament known for their charity to others.