Church of St. Paul in The Desert

St. Paul In The Desert

Stained Glass		St. Paul In The Desert

All colored glass is stained glass. The art medium of the windows of the Church of St. Paul in the Desert are more particularly known as faceted glass. This is probably the oldest form of the use of stained glass in windows. Click here to take a tour of the windows

The glass was colored by throwing in metals and metallic oxides. Copper makes blue, green, and rubies; iron makes green; table sugar produces amber tones; cobalt makes blue; while chrome gives yellow tones. Metallic gold produces pink.

Each color used has a mystically religious meaning also dating from the middle ages; and this, too, relates to the color used in the story of each window. A brief chart follows:

  • BLUE - heavenly strength and faithfulness
  • WHITE - purity, innocence, and joy
  • GOLD - purity and splendor
  • RUBY or RED - the blood of life, sacrifice, and therefore, love
  • GREEN - Spring, hope, eternal life, and the Holy Trinity
  • YELLOW - the revealed truth, as the sun breaking through clouds after a storm
  • BROWN - the earthly, or the mundane
  • GRAY - the earthly, or mundane, and humility
  • PURPLE and VIOLET - royalty, or penance

When the pieces of glass are complete and in position on the work bench, they are then fixed in epoxy with sand. The background in each window, thereby, becomes opaque, bringing the color and beauty of each piece of glass more into prominence.

The average faceted glass window is only 40% to 50% glass. The windows weigh about eight pounds per square foot, and the maximum size that can be used is nine square feet. The medium is one of strength and massiveness, not daintiness and over subtlety.

Below is a schematic diagram of the stained glass windows at the Church of St. Paul of the Desert. Click on the numbers on the diagram or the titles below to view the windows. Click here to start a tour at the beginning.


The Old Testament Prophets
1. Abraham and Isaac
2. Aaron
3. David
4. Noah
5. The Prophet Jeremiah
6. Jonah
7. The Prophet Daniel

The Life of Jesus
8. The Nativity
9. The Flight into Egypt
10. The Childhood of Jesus
11. The Baptism of Jesus
12. The Crucifixion
13. The Resurrection		St. Paul in the Desert Episcopal Church St. Paul in the Desert Episcopal Church St. Paul in the Desert Episcopal Church St. Paul in the Desert Episcopal Church St. Paul in the Desert Episcopal Church St. Paul in the Desert Episcopal Church St. Paul in the Desert Episcopal Church St. Paul in the Desert Episcopal Church St. Paul in the Desert Episcopal Church St. Paul in the Desert Episcopal Church St. Paul in the Desert Episcopal Church St. Paul in the Desert Episcopal Church St. Paul in the Desert Episcopal Church St. Paul in the Desert Episcopal Church St. Paul in the Desert Episcopal Church St. Paul in the Desert Episcopal Church St. Paul in the Desert Episcopal Church St. Paul in the Desert Episcopal Church St. Paul in the Desert Episcopal Church St. Paul in the Desert Episcopal Church St. Paul in the Desert Episcopal Church St. Paul in the Desert Episcopal Church St. Paul in the Desert Episcopal Church St. Paul in the Desert Episcopal Church St. Paul in the Desert Episcopal Church St. Paul in the Desert Episcopal Church St. Paul in the Desert Episcopal Church St. Paul in the Desert Episcopal Church St. Paul in the Desert Episcopal Church

The Ministry of Jesus
14. Christ the Good Shepherd
15. The Sermon on the Mount
16. Feeding of the 5,000
17. The Prodigal Son
18. The Great Commission
19. The Pentecost

The Acts of the Apostles
20. The Stoning of Saint Stephen
21. Saint Philip and the Eunuch
22. Mary of Bethany at Jesus' Feet
23. Saint Peter on the Day of Pentecost
24. Saints Peter and John with the Lame Man at the Gate
25. Saint Paul
26. The Second Coming

27. The Narthex Window