The art of stained glass goes back many years to about 2700 BCE when Mesopotamians and ancient Egyptians began creating colored beads of glass, primarily for jewelry. By the 1^st century, the Romans began using colored glass for windows. But stained glass windows reached their height in Medieval Europe when they were used to create the massive, exquisite, and intricate glass windows you see on European Gothic Cathedrals and Abbeys. 

These windows, featuring depictions of Christian symbols, stories, and characters became known as the “poor man’s Bible,” because they taught those who either couldn’t or weren’t permitted to read the scriptures through images and story.

The ingredients for glass are sand and wood ash (potash). These are melted into a liquid, and various colored metal powders can …