Famous and Fascinating Stained Glass Windows through the years Part 4, Cassablanca

More about stained glass windows in remarkable settings:

Notre Dame de Lourdes Catholic Church in Casablanca, Morocco, was built between 1953 and 1956.  It is one of the only two Catholic Churches that in Casablanca (the other one is the Sacred Heart Church).  The cathedral’s imposing white concrete façade looks more like a warehouse than a church and a simple white cross is the only hint to its purpose. 

The main attraction for visitors is the spectacular stained glass windows, the work of Gabriel Loire, a famous French artist.  They are cut on a red and blue colored background, reminiscent of typical Moroccan carpets, and represent different images of the Virgin Mary.  The absolutely breathtaking stained glass windows of the church are what capture everyone’s attention.  The open, airy interior is lit up by the colored beams of light that filter through these stained glass windows which cover the entirety of both side walls – giving a window surface area of over 800 square meters (8600 square feet). 

The stained glass windows are cut on a red and blue colored background, reminiscent of typical Moroccan carpets, and represent different images of the Virgin Mary, Notre Dame de Lourdes Catholic Church, Casablanca, Morocco

The Notre Dame de Lourdes Church in Morocco is clear evidence of the strong Roman Catholic presence in Casablanca and, while this may not be the major religion in the country, it certainly isn’t only practiced by a small minority. (Morocco.com)

These are such beautiful examples of Stained Glass throughout the world!  

That's all for today!  May sunshine fill your day.

Famous and Fascinating Stained Glass Windows through the years Part 3, Cairo

Welcome back!  Well, we now know a bit more about Stained Glass from Dublin, Istanbul, and now to learn and see a bit from Cairo.  Here is some snips and pictures, Enjoy!

Up to the Abbasid era (AD 750-868) the glass industry was dominated by Alexandria and Syrian, but the Abbasid Caliph Harun Al-Rashid valued enameled and gilded glass works. This became the finest gift that the Caliph could bestowed on his favorites. In Egypt during the Tulunid era (AD 868-905), special attention was given to stained glass surfaces as well as lanterns and vessels. Sultan Ahmed Bin Tulun (AD 868-883) renovated glass workshops in Alexandria.

Architecture in Egypt made use of stained glass in mosques, houses, palaces and khankawat (monastic complexes). Stained glass windows varied in their style, ornamentation, and color according to the kind of building and to the era of construction. Cairo abounds in buildings with stained glass windows of all periods from the ninth century to the twentieth.        

In modern Egyptian architecture stained glass has been used for exterior and interior decoration, set in stucco, lead and other materials. Variations on the motif of colored light are evident in the use of mosaic walls receiving light from outside through clear glass. In many recent public buildings, such as theaters, cinemas and offices, glass is coupled with steel. Transparent glass surfaces colored with thermal dyes has been used for sculpture or for interior decoration. Virtually every major building erected in the twentieth century has transparent or stained-glass panes in the form of windows, partitions, or fixed or movable walls.

The use of glass has become common in most large new buildings in Egypt. Iron, and its alloys, has replaced other material formerly used for windows. In the new building of Qasr Al-Ayni Hospital (1995) a window unit of 60 square meter is made of steel with lead chocks to endure tremors and the stress of heat expansion. Stained glass figures in the Police Hospital Building (1995) in the exterior and interior.   (cited by Egyptian Government)

This information is brief, just to show some of  the distinct styles.  That is all for now!  More to follow.  May sunshine fill your day!           

Famous and Fascinating Stained Glass Windows through the years Part 2, Istanbul

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque or Sultan Ahmet Mosque (Turkish: Sultan Ahmet Camii) is a historic Mosque located in Istanbul, Turkey. A popular tourist site, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque continues to function as a mosque today; men still kneel in prayer on the mosque's lush red carpet after the call to prayer. The Blue Mosque, as it is popularly known, was constructed between 1609 and 1616 during the rule of Ahmed I. Its Külliye contains Ahmed's tomb, a Madrasah, and a hospice. Hand-painted blue tiles adorn the mosque’s interior walls, and at night the mosque is bathed in blue as lights frame the mosque’s five main domes, six minarets, and eight secondary domes. It sits next to the Hagia Sophia, another popular tourist site.  (cited from From Wikipedia)

The Blue Mosque — with its five main domes, six minarets, and eight secondary domes — is considered the classical period’s last great mosque. The architect, Sedefkâr Mehmed Ağa, combined Byzantine Christian and traditional Islamic architectural elements for a work of overwhelming size and splendor.

After the Peace of Zsitvatorok (which ended the Fifteen Years’ War between the Ottoman Empire and the Habsburg Monarchy) and the empire’s loss in the 1603-1618 war with Persia, Sultan Ahmed I was looking for ways to boost morale. The Sultan Ahmet Mosque, built between 1609 and 1616, was meant to reassert Ottoman power even though Ahmed I had to procure funds from the treasury since his lack in victory also meant a lack in spoils of war.

So why is Sultan Ahmet Mosque also called the Blue Mosque? Because its interior is lined with more than 20,000 handmade İznik tiles, a ceramic that is always turquoise in color with red tulip designs. The mosque’s upper levels are also painted blue with natural light flooding in from the more than 200 stained glass windows.

Just a sampling of the beauty within the Mosque!

Stay tuned, more to come in showing famous Stained Glass! 

May Sunshine fill your Day

Famous and Fascinating Stained Glass Windows through the years Part 1, Dublin

Welcome to my blog!  I hope you will find it very informative with snips of the history and viewing pleasure.

The stories of stained glass window panels are alluring and full of culture, history, beauty, and more!  My fascination started in grade school and only grown over time.  I made a small Blue Bird piece sitting on a branch which I thought was beautiful, but then I discovered so much more through time that I have to share.  It is a wonderful medium that has told countless stories when it was recorded in the 19th century to the present.

Artists such as William McBride in collaboration with other artists of the late 19th century were commissioned to produce fine windows in churches around the country, including St. John's Church in Belfast, St. Bridgid's in Birr, Offaly and St. George's church in Hardwicke Place, Dublin.  They told of the Great War, of Peace and Justice.

The details are stunning and very intricate.  The first picture tells of the battle adorned with castles and Irelands symbols are the edge.

The second is the victorious youth, clad in silver armor and draped in a cape tied with a Celtic brooch.  These ancient Celtic artifacts were celebrated and copied by the Celtic Arts Revival Movement, to which the artist William MacBride belonged.

The third is The 'Peace' figure who holds the touch of learning high, also carries an open book, itself an ornately designed manuscript.  Like the other figures, she is dressed in Celtic robes, a green sash over her back pinned, thereby a beautiful Tara-styled brooch. Perhaps it signifies 'Peace in Ireland', a valiant hope for the country in 1922. (extract from school magazine, Michelle Burrows).

That is all for now, but stayed tuned!  May the sunshine fill your day.