Church windows are windows within cathedrals, basilicas and other church edifices. They have been a central element in church architecture since Early Christianity.
You look like a church window—clean and clear, with no obstructions to the light. You present yourself just as you are: sincere and honest, in a perfect world. Cut the euphemisms. Just say what you mean. You get on my nerves. We’re friends. Why can’t we talk to each other honestly? Is it because you think I won’t want to go out with you if I know what you think of me? You’re not alone, but don’t ask me why.
I wanted to stop by and say thank you. You look like a church window. Church windows are beautiful; they let light in and illuminate the Church during worship. They are a positive thing. It makes me happy to see you looking so summery and fresh, showing your radiant spirit as you step into this building each morning, as though you were gathering in the sunshine before pouring into your work here. I hope there has been a lot of sunshine where you live lately, because you should carry that same light of joy everywhere you go.
You look like a church window meaning
As a writer, it’s very important to have a reliable group of people I know will give me honest feedback. So I always preface my writing with, “You look like a church window.
The way you present yourself to the world is to be seen as a church window.
You are too innocent, too pure and too good for this world. You are too transparent, too naive and too unique to fit into our society. You will never be able to survive in this environment because you don’t belong here.
You have a dreamy look in your eyes that makes me feel comfortable when I look at them but I know deep down inside that everything is not okay with you—that there’s something wrong with the way you think about life or maybe even how you live your life?
Church Window Types
The great churches and cathedrals of Europe have left a vast body of architectural elements that are used to this day. Although the interiors of modern churches have changed with improved building techniques, architects continue to draw inspiration from the great churches of the past, particularly when it comes to windows. Perhaps the most significant of architectural features in classic churches, windows were of deep symbolic interest, as well as being functional and beautiful.
Clerestory Windows
Clerestory (pronounced “clear-story”) windows are a type of window popularized in churches and cathedral during the Romanesque period. They generally run along the top of the nave, or central approach to the altar, and provide abundant interior light in areas that would otherwise be very dim. Their sole function is to provide light, specifically ambient overhead light, and not to provide a view that might be distracting in a religious environment. Clerestory windows fell out of popularity in the early 20th century but were later revived through the works of Frank Lloyd Wright and are now commonly seen in church architecture, as well as secular buildings.
Lancet Windows
Lancet windows are tall, narrow windows capped by a sharply pointed arch. They are named for their spearhead-like shape. Variations exist in the width of this type of window, but the overall shape is consistent. Common in Gothic architecture, lancet windows were sometimes made with stained glass, although given the austerity of the period they were generally free from ornamentation. They were typically built in pairs or even-numbered rows. Today, lancet windows are sometimes employed in church architecture because of their historic and religious significance.
Rose Windows
Rose windows are among the most recognizable church windows. Originating from Roman sacred architecture, rose windows reinterpret the “oculus,” or small, round pane-less window used in ancient temples such as the Pantheon. They are often highly decorative with ornate stained glass work and elaborate tracery. Rose windows are often the centerpiece of a church, located above or facing the altar. They reached their height during the Gothic period, when cathedrals throughout Europe began featuring them. Today, rose windows are beginning to appear again in church architecture, albeit in a more understated and less elaborate fashion.
Cinquefoil Windows
Cinquefoil windows are ornamental structures consisting of five arches arranged in a circular pattern to resemble stylized five-petaled flowers. They are typically made with clear glass, although sometimes plain colored glass is used. Historically, they appear in Catholic and Protestant churches equally, although in modern church architecture they are generally restricted to Catholic structures. Their purpose is to provide light to the aisles, which are out of the range of clerestory window light. Rarely, cinquefoil shapes are incorporated into rose window design, generally with highly ornamental tracery.
Church Window Shape Names
SAXON WINDOWS
Saxon windows were of two shapes: triangular-headed and round-headed. Early windows were cut straight through the wall and never recessed. Later windows were given a splay, which allowed more light to filter in. Some were splayed both inside and outside, with the glass in the middle. Later, they favoured circular openings.
NORMAN WINDOWS
The semi-circular arch continued. Windows were still small and often set high up in a wall. They were not always equally spaced. Larger circular windows were developed, the forerunner of the Rose Window. The East window of some churches is still a single light today. An example occurs at Elkstone, a delightful church.
The pointed arch was used for the first time and tall, narrow windows, known as lancets, first appeared. At times they were grouped in pairs but usually in threes (for the Trinity), sometimes in fives (at Berkeley) and even in sevens, especially at the east end of a church where the centre lancet rose higher than the others. Decorative hood moulds, or drip stones, are projected above windows to protect them from rainwater running down the walls. They ended in a label stop, which was often carved as an animal or human head or foliated. A pair of lancets, when enclosed by an individual hood mould, had a dip that collected rain.
Thus, when two or more lancets were grouped, they were enclosed by a single hood mould which allowed the rainwater to escape. This left a gap between the top of the windows and the hood mould, which became pierced with circular or quatrefoil-shaped windows and resulted in the emergence of plate tracery. A framework of stone mullions was used to build up tracery. For the first time, churches could have large windows. This put a strain on the walls but the buttresses were given greater projection to combat this.
GOTHIC: DECORATED WINDOWS
This overlapped with Geometric tracery when circles had cusps added to them. Geometric window tracery is of greater variety than any other style. Other forms existed, like the trefoil. Reticulated (net-like) tracery was developed using concave and convex curves (ogee). Soon after this, flowing tracery emerged with an infinite variety of designs, allowing the eye to follow the curve of the bars of each window. The ball flower ornament became popular. Each window in the south aisle at Gloucester Cathedral has about 1400 ball flowers.
GOTHIC: PERPENDICULAR WINDOWS
The perpendicular style originated with the monks at St Peter’s Abbey, Gloucester, soon after the ravages of the Black Death. Some sources suggest it began in London a few years earlier. This new style emphasised straight lines on both verticals and horizontals. Vertical mullions were stronger and horizontal bars (transoms) were inserted, preventing them from bulging. Thus, both the height and width of a window increased, as did the number of lights it contained. As a result, windows now give the maximum amount of light.
Setting out the stonework was much simpler, a real godsend for the hard-pressed masons following the ravages of pestilence, which reduced both work force and expertise. Even smaller churches could have better natural lighting. Windows gave the glass painter tremendous scope to insert his figures, heraldry, etc. into the rectangular panels now formed.
With both the richer colours and the wealth from merchants now available, this period saw a tremendous surge in the rebuilding of many churches, which were filled with light and space. However, square-headed windows and doorways were becoming popular as well, especially in the less-developed regions. Sometimes circular windows became a feature, especially in East Anglia.
POST-REFORMATION WINDOWS
The Reformation, in both northern Europe as well as England and Scotland, saw tremendous changes and emphasis in Christian practices. Little building was undertaken until the following century, when designs reflected the revised views adopted by the Church of England and other emerging Protestants. Now large simple windows, many with clear glass and semi-circular with projecting keystones, became popular. Victorian builders frequently copied the Gothic style in both new and rebuilt churches, often inserting a triple lancet into the east wall. There was a brief return to a neo-Romanesque style, as shown in the rebuilding of the church of St Thomas, now in ruins.