Symbolism Behind Stained Glass Color in Churches

The Beautiful Art Form Of Stained Glass In Churches

There is literally no arguing that stained glass is one of the most lovely and aged art forms that we still enjoy today. While it is very popular on homes in the Fort Collins areas, it is also incredibly prolific on churches around the world. These amazing church stained glass windows are bold, bright and brilliant and have a much deeper purpose than you might expect. That’s right, while the amazing colors on church stained glass windows may just appear to be something lovely–there is much more in the way of meaning to these windows than meets the eye!

 

 

 

The Deep Meaning In The Colors Of Stained Glass

Stained glass has long been called “the poor man’s bible”. Why? Because during the medieval times when the majority of the world was illiterate and could not afford bibles, the role of stained glass windows was essentially that of a picture book. So the church used the depiction of Biblical events in stained glass windows as a way to teach those who could not read about the events and lessons in the Bible. Simply amazing! What’s more, each color used in the windows was for more than just show–the individual colors had the meaning assigned to them to take the picture lessons that much further. What were those meanings? Read below and find out.

The Meaning Of Stained Glass Colors On Stained Glass

Red: Not surprisingly represents the blood of Christ or the martyrdom of saints. It could also indicate strong emotions such as love or hate.
Blue: Is associated with the color of the sky and therefore symbolizes heaven, hope, sincerity, and piety–like the Virgin Mary.T
Green: Is the color of grass and nature and therefore represents growth and rebirth, life over death.
Violet: A bold color symbolizing love, truth, passion, and suffering.
White: Is a representation of chastity, innocence, and purity is often associated with God.
Black: A very rarely seen color in stained glass on churches it has connotations of both death and regeneration.
Yellow: The color most used in depictions of Judas so it sometimes symbolizes treachery but is also used in the halo of saints, or the Gates of Heaven and to symbolize divinity, power, and glory.
Purple: Since it is thought that Christ wore purple before His crucifixion the color often symbolizes suffering and endurance. Purple is also used to depict royalty or God the Father.
Gray: This color or hue is a symbol of humility and mourning and can also be seen representing the immortality of the spirit.
Brown: Used as a symbol of spiritual death and renunciation of worldly things.
Rainbow: A happy depiction of the union and God’s covenant with humanity.

Now that you know the symbolism behind the colors on church stained glass, take a closer look at the stained glass windows in your local chapel and see if you can pick up on deeper meanings there! For any questions about stained glass, stained glass creation or stained glass restoration, feel free to contact us at Scottish Stained Glass for work on your Fort Collins church!