Stained Glass Windows

When Rome ruled Britain, Christians in Canterbury (a town about sixty miles southeast of London) worshiped in a church ultimately honoring St. Martin. The ancient historian, Venerable Bede, provides background:

There was on the east side of the city a church dedicated to the honor of St Martin, built whilst the Romans were still in the island, wherein the queen [Bertha, that is] ... used to pray. In this they first began to meet, to sing, to pray, to say mass, to preach, and to baptize, till the king, [Ethelbert] being converted to the faith, allowed them to preach openly, and build or repair churches in all places. (Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation, Book I, Chapter XXVI.)

Still standing, St. Martin's Church is England's oldest still in use. Nearby is Canterbury Cathedral, known for its beauty and an infamous murder.

Although the Cathedral, dating from medieval times, has been vandalized and intentionally damaged, it still has a few original stained-glass windows, including:

• Adam delving (digging), circa 1176 (the oldest surviving window).
  
  
• Henry II with Archbishop Thomas Becket (that is, the king with the churchman who troubled him).
  
  
• Virgin Mary and King Josiah (the only surviving medieval panels in the Jesse Tree Window).
  

Some of the windows, in the current cathedral, include rescued and reused medieval glass. Other windows, added throughout the centuries, reflect the style and color of later times:

• Poor Man's Bible Window (after reconstruction and restoration);
  
  
• Thomas Becket Window (made in the 1900s including some pieces of medieval glass);
  
  
• Murder of Thomas Becket (13th century rondels set in a 19th century restoration);
  
  
• Peace Window  (created by Ervin Bossanyi in 1956).
  

Westminster Abbey, like Canterbury Cathedral, is famous not just for itself (and its stained glass) but for important events which have occurred there. It was the scene, for example, of Princess Diana's funeral (during which Elton John famously sang Goodbye England's Rose). As the BBC live-broadcasted that event, the cameraman (at 5:25 in the video clip) focused on the abbey's beautiful stained-glass windows.

Italy, likewise, is home to famous churches with gorgeous glass art. It's the next stop on our virtual journey.