It was constructed in the 11th century and was part of a project to make the windows larger and more beautiful. The oldest surviving complete stained-glass window is found in the Augsburg Cathedral in Germany. Prior to that the Egyptians and Romans had developed a technique for creating small colored glass objects, but did not use the technology for large scale windows. However, stained glass windows as we know them today were not developed until the 10th century. Architects saw them as the perfect opportunity to highlight a spiritual truth while serving a functional purpose. Windows funnel the light of the sun and dispel the darkness of the shadows. With this in mind it was fitting for Christians to spend much time and energy developing the design of windows in churches. Jesus even went so far as to identify himself with light, saying, “I am the light of the world he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). And God saw that the light was good” (Genesis 1:3-4). In Genesis God’s first words at creation were, “‘Let there be light’ and there was light. Light is a common spiritual theme in Christian theology. Why are there stained-glass windows in our churches? Many thanks to him and his father (both parishioners), Mark Hannon, for their historical research and photographs of the Holy Cross windows. He is currently studying engineering at Rutgers University. The photographer of the windows, Jeremy Hannon, is a graduate of Loyola High School in Baltimore and former editor of their yearbook.
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