CHARTRES STAINED GLASS WINDOWS

The Chartres (chaar-treez) Cathedral in France contains the world's largest surviving collection of medieval stained glass, with more than 150 of them from the 13th-century.  The windows are best known for their vibrant colors, especially their cobalt blue.   

Chartres Cathedral is filled with stories and symbolism. (photo: Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli)

Chartres Cathedral is a Catholic place of worship, and its visual testament can be read almost like a book.  The cathedral's grandeur has led to it being named a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site.  Chartres is one of the best-preserved examples of Gothic art.

The cobalt blue windows are said to symbolize the Divine Light that lights the entire Universe.  One can imagine sitting in a pew, totally mystified by the grace of human accomplishment.  How in the world did they do it?     

Cobalt blue connects one to nature--the sky and the waters--and to the heavenly realm as we can only imagine it.  Stained-glass windows illustrate not only lights and colors that make up our world, but also speak to the beauty and light within every person and situation.  There is a Zen saying that every moment, even the most painful, has some kind of beauty.....even if it's the simple fact that we are connected to all others who are in pain.  Seeing beauty isn't about denying the existence of pain and suffering.  Rather, it's about striving to focus on the good, the positive and the beautiful no matter what.  It's a way for us to change the ordinary into extraordinary.  

The Japanese have a word for finding beauty in imperfections:   wabi-sabi.  Rather than find faults in cracks, tears and other imperfections, the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi encourages us to appreciate that nothing is perfect or permanent.