Rose windows

Santa María de Regla Cathedral, León (1205-1301, Spain)

  
Rose window is a word used to describe a round window design, which is similar to the many petals of a rose. Most often the term is used to describe the round windows of some churches, especially those built in Gothic style. (Kiddle)

Stained glass is glass coloured by adding metallic salts when it is made. The coloured glass is made into stained glass windows. Small pieces of glass are arranged to form patterns or pictures. The glass is held together by strips of lead and supported by a rigid frame.

Painted details and yellow stain are often used to improve the design. The term stained glass is also applied to windows in which the colours have been painted onto the glass and then fused to the glass in a kiln. Stained glass is much used in Christian art but other themes are not rare. It is still popular today, and often called art glass. It is often used in luxury homes and commercial buildings. (Kiddle)

These are some designs that you can use to create your own rose window.

 

Material:

• 2 Sheets of construction paper (DIN A4)
• Colored cellophane
• Cutter
• Glue stick
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Compass (for drawing circles)

 What you do:

1. Using a compass, draw a circle in the center of one of the sheets of both construction paper. Draw the circle as large as possible. Cut out the circle with a pair of scissors.
2. On one circle, create repeating and simmetric patterns. Try to space them equally apart as you trace them until the circle is filled up with shapes. (Don’t worry if you make a mistake and have to erase the pencil lines, this side of the circle won’t be seen.)
3. Very carefully, cut out the shapes from the cercle.
4. Place the circle with the drawn out design on top of the blank circle. Outline the shapes and cut them out. Be careful as you cut so all shapes are cut out identically.
5. Now set the circle that had the pencil shapes drawn  in front of you.
6. Use scissors to cut up pieces of colored cellophane to glue into the cut windows of your circle. Glue them down as you cut them until all spaces are filled.
7. Carefully take the other black circle and glue it down onto the cellophane papered circle. This will hide any messy cellophane paper or excess glue. 

Hang your beautiful Rose window on a glass door or a window, so the light will pass through the cellophane.

The light phenomena
This magical phenomenon happens just twice per year on two symbolic dates: the second day of the second month, Candlemas, and the eleventh day of the eleventh month, Saint Martin. On these two days, from eight o’clock in the morning, a unique light phenomenon occurs.

The light of the rising sun passes through the Cathedral’s main rose window and its reflection is projected onto the opposite wall, just beneath the opposite rose window in the main façade so that, for a short period of time, one window reflects onto the other. This forms a double rose window, one in glass and the other in light, leading to what is known as the “figure of eight spectacle” as a “figure of eight of light” forms, a number loaded with symbolism in the Christian tradition. By adding an extra day to the seven days of the week, the earliest Christian writers gave this “eighth day” the status of a time outside of time, a time of eternity, of heaven. (Catedral de Mallorca)

Cathedral of Santa María, Palma (1229, 1346, Spain)