Spain & Portugal’s Stained Glass~

Jul30

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Spain & Portugal have stunning stained glass windows,

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some more modern,

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like these in Madrid,
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and others much older as is this beauty in Mallorca.
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Some are secular such as this one in Aviero Portugal,
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and others modern and religious like Gaudi’s stunners in La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.

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This hotel in Lisbon had a historic stained glass ceiling.
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Cheers to you from the sacred stained glass artistry of Portugal & Spain~

174 thoughts on “Spain & Portugal’s Stained Glass~”

  16. What a feast! Funny, the Gaudi and the more abstract graphic and secular ones don’t appeal to me as much as the older, narrative ones—Madrid, Mallorca—where the art and craft seem imbued with deep religious conviction, and the colors seem wilder, more saturated and loving one another. Still, I love all stained glass. Thanks for a beautiful tour.

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    • “,,,where the art and craft seem imbued with deep religious conviction, and the colors seem wilder, more saturated and loving one another.”
      Yes this artistry is moving in ways that are hard to articulate. The artistic conversion of religious passion to visible art in the form of stained glass evokes a feeling of sacredness, of the artists desire to depcit beauty and the religious feelings this creates inside of them. This is incredibly moving to me also.
      Thank you for such a sensitive, nuanced comment Cynthia~

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  17. Stain glass art has to be some of the most stunning art in the world! They’re like mosaic but elevated to another level. Love these! Thanks for sharing them, Cindy!

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    • Yes I so agree with you. Seeing these masterpieces of light and color in old cathedreals is one of the pure joys of traveling to Europe. They evoke a feeling of sacredness~

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  20. Such a beautiful work of art and craft. Timeless, I guess one could say as it is something that just retains its beauty and never looks aged, I suppose. I wonder how they keep it all so clean from dust that would surely collect through the years.

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  25. Speechless with your capture of these incredible works of art ~ such a difficult exposure and you knocked it out of the park 🙂 Wishing you a great summer Cindy, safe travels!

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    • It is a beautiful world with so many people doing such amazing things even amidst all the human heartbreak. Be well Graham & cheers to you my friend~

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  28. Just love the ambiance that beautiful stained glass creates! I’m awed by the ones with the irregular mosaic look with the warm colors (like the 4th and 6th from the top). So fiery! All of them inspire me though. I’ve decided that my future home will have stained glass work (definitely with birds and sky motif)!

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    • Interesting, you picked a VERY old window from the main cathedral in Mallorca Spain and the more modern Gaudi window in La Sagrada. It is just such an enduring and hope inspiring art form, which is amazing considering it is fragile and made of glass, but like all art, certain pieces resonate more with certain people. Fascinating and wonderful when you think about all of this.
      I have always had stained glass in my house, and cut art glass. I find it so beautiful.
      Cheers to you Lynn and hope you are well my dear friend~ <3

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  30. Yes they are all beautiful , biased as I might be 😉 (being Portuguese) , but what astounds me is how you captured their colours and the light coming through 🙂 That was an amazing job
    Turtle Hugs

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    • Ahhh, Portugal, I will love you forever. I know I have told you that you live in the place I would most like to live. You are close enough to the mainland, but you live in this paradise in the midst of The Atlantic. I can’t believe how amazing your posts and photos are of the Azores througout the seasons. I am so glad I met you and I love your country and your islands. <3

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  34. Beautifully captured and you have a good library of photos. I have some from Chartres and the fascinating Stained glass museum there. We have a friend who restores and creates her own stained glass in Spain.

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    • The only really old one is in Mallorca and you are right, the newer ones tend to have more vibrant colors and larger individual pieces of glass making the color pop out at you and appear brighter.

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  45. Photography has the power to stop time; it allows us the moment again and again. Your photos invite us to come again and again. Hugs, my dear friend.

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    • Oh how beautifully thought & expressed. These old cathedrals stop time to don’t they, as if your walking into the past. I never thought of it in exactly this way, but it is a special experience which I seek out. Thank you for giving me the idea and words my dear friend Rebecca and blessings to you too! <3

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  46. Cindy, how did you know I absolutely LOVE stained glass windows?? And these are gorgeous. Thank you for bringing them up close for our enjoyment!

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  61. Stunning artistry one and all. I’m always amazed too at how these windows come thru history still looking spectacular. That’s a gorgeous hotel ! Having just come from Paris, I have a new appreciation for the craftsmanship that went into a building in the past. Probably cost prohibitive these days and perhaps there aren’t too many people who could even make these wonderful pieces of art. xK

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    • Yes, I know exactly what you mean. In Europe you see the atttention and value placed on artisans and artistry in the past. We no longer place enough emphasis on this in my opinion.
      Artistic beauty enhances daily life significantly. Not all of us want to live in a world that values on selfies, the Kardashians, and Pokeman go~

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      • True that, Pokeman Go seems to be all the rage but I’ve never spent time playing these games. I guess it might actually get kids outside, so that’s a plus 😀

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      • Good point! As long as they don’t walk off a cliff or into traffic following pokeman as he goes, which apparently some people have done. It is always good practice to look up occasionaly from your hand-held device when following it outside to clarify where you might actually be. If you follow GPS or google maps to my house you will drive into a cow pasture and meet the ankol-watusi African bull up close and personal in your now stuck in a cow pie car.
        😉

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  62. You did a great job of photographing these gorgeous stained glass windows, Cindy — by featuring just the colored glass on a black background, you made it easy to enjoy these works of art. Thanks so much~~

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  69. I’ve always been drawn to stained glass, Cuz. It’s easily found in many of the churches built before 1950s but one of the most wonderful examples I found a few years ago was at the Tiffany Museum in Winter Park, FL. Your pics are wonderful. 🙂

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  71. Thanks so much for sharing these, Cindy. They’re stunning and it must have been awe inspiring to experience them yourself. Stained glass creates an incredible ambiance and for me have such a strong spiritual feel as a result.
    xx Rowena

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