Church Stained Glass Windows

Modern Religious Stained Glass

Church stained glass windows are plentiful in Swansea, Wales. About 100 years ago I went on a church stain glass windows tour. Back then, cameras and slides were the thing, and I have lots from this trip - all lovingly labelled and notated.

St Mary’s Church stained glass windows are very eclectic; they have a John Piper, a Catrin Jones and – since 2001 – a Martin Donlin. But who made these religious stained glass windows?! My notes say ‘Lisa Berkle’, but I can’t find any reference to her on the web or in my considerable modern stained glass library – nothing. It’s driving me mad, can you help?  

Whoever it is uses the lead lines skilfully to suggest a ladder, and the movement inherent in the glass propels our eyes upwards until we almost feel that we have climbed it ourselves. The small areas of yellow in the stain glass church windows hint at a heaven at the top of the ladder.  

Another intriguing aspect of this Christian stained glass window is the technique – gold leaf - used for the stained glass angels. From the inside of the church you can partially see some subtle blue figures that look as if they have wings, but if you step outside it’s a different story.

Five golden stained glass angels suddenly appear! From this side they are the most dominant feature of the stained glass church windows, along with the lead ‘ladder’. It’s a good example of an artist who is aware of both surfaces of the glass canvas – inside and outside.  

Resources

If you’re interested in finding out about stained glass in Wales, there’s the most amazing database of glass being compiled which documents all the glass in the country. There’s detailed photos of each window with dates and artists/studio names. What a task! Here's the main search page. Type in "Swansea St Mary's" and it will take you to all the windows in this particular church."

Thanks to those who wrote to me and told me that Lisa Berkl (without an 'e'!) works at Swansea Metropolitan University. Much appreciated! 

Back to Church Stained Glass Windows Hub

Everything Stained Glass Homepage