The World’s 25 Most Breathtaking Stained Glass Windows
Stained glass windows have enhanced buildings since the Middle Ages and continue to captivate architects and design lovers today. Used traditionally—and even sometimes as ceilings—the works are constructed of colored glass pieces connected and outlined by strips of lead. It’s common to see this stunning details in religious buildings, such as cathedrals and mosques, although they also became popular for secular spaces beginning in the 19th century and now adorn private homes, hotels, cultural buildings, and department stores. From a Gothic chapel in Paris to a hotel in Mexico City, take a look at some of the most beautiful stained glass windows in the world and see how architects such as Philip Johnson, Oscar Niemeyer, and Antoni Gaudí have used the art form in some of their most iconic designs.
Photo: Getty Images/Dircinha S. Welter1/25Cathedral of Brasília (Brasília, Brazil)
The Oscar Niemeyer–designed cathedral's distinctive stained glass was created by artist Marianne Peretti in 1990. The 22,000- square-foot work features waves of blue, green, white, and brown glass.
Photo: Getty Images/DeAgostini2/25Aachen Cathedral (Aachen, Germany)
Construction of the UNESCO World Heritage Site began in 796 under Emperor Charlemagne and was expanded during the Middle Ages. The gothic sanctuary is lined with nearly 84-foot-tall stained glass windows, designed by Walther Benner and Anton Wendling after the original glazing was destroyed during World War II.
Photo: Getty Images/Andia/UIG3/25St. Joseph’s Church (Le Havre, France)
The neo-Gothic church was built in the 1950s in the French port city as a tribute to the 5,000 citizens who died during World War II, when the town was nearly completely destroyed. Architect Auguste Perret was instrumental in the plan to rebuild the city and designed the church, which features a 350-foot spire lined with stained glass.
Photo: Getty Images4/25Sainte-Chapelle (Paris, France)
Commissioned in the 13th century by King Louis IX, this Gothic chapel is nestled on the Ile de la Cité and boasts 15 stained glass panels in its nave and apse that depict more than a thousand biblical figures. The panels recently underwent a seven-year, $10 million restoration, during which the windows were removed and cleaned with lasers.
Photo: David Kozlowski/Getty Images5/25Thanks-Giving Square (Dallas, Texas)
In 1977 Philip Johnson designed a delicately spiraling white chapel to anchor a tranquil three-acre oasis in the heart of downtown Dallas. The ornate structure is crowned by the Glory Window, which comprises 73 stained glass panels crafted by French artist Gabriel Loire.
Photo: Gabriel Boieras/Getty Images6/25Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Sebastian (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Adding warmth to an otherwise austere religious site, four rectilinear stained glass windows stretch some 200 feet to the ceiling of this beehive-shaped cathedral, which was completed in 1976. As many as 20,000 people can fill the Edgar Fonseca–designed church, which holds the Museu de Arte Sacra in its subterranean space.
Photo: Garrett Unno/Getty Images7/25Chicago Cultural Center (Chicago, Illinois)
The Louis Comfort Tiffany dome at the Chicago Cultural Center measures 38 feet in diameter, making it one of the largest stained glass domes in the world. Held together by an ornate cast-iron frame that features some 30,000 pieces of glass shaped like fish scales, the dome was finished in 1897, the same year the building opened as the city’s first public library. The dome underwent a meticulous restoration in 2008 and is now lighted electrically.
Photo: Getty Images/ppnmm8/25Nasir al-Mulk Mosque (Shiraz, Iran)
Finished at the end of the 19th century, this Technicolor mosque in southern Iran dazzles with intricate stained glass windows, richly colored tiles, carved pillars, and woven rugs. Due to its strategic positioning, early-morning light produces a kaleidoscopic effect within the structure, which has survived numerous earthquakes thanks to the flexible wood struts within its walls.
Photo: Alamy9/25King’s College Chapel (Cambridge, England)
In 1446 King Henry VI laid the foundation stone of this monumental English Gothic chapel, which features the largest fan vault in the world. The 26 stained glass panels were installed more than a century later under the authority of King Henry VIII, who used them to reinforce his position as Supreme Head of the English Church after breaking with Rome.
Photo: Getty Images10/25La Sagrada Familia (Barcelona, Spain)
Perhaps the most iconic work of architect Antoni Gaudí, this Catalan Modernisme cathedral dominates the Barcelona skyline and contains a stunning rainbow of abstract stained glass windows. Although work began on the structure in 1882, Gaudí never saw the windows installed but left several directives as to his wishes for them. Still incomplete, the building is now helmed by architect Jordi Faulí, who recently announced that the final stage of construction is on track to be complete in 2026, exactly a century after Gaudí’s death.
Photo: Courtesy of Nick Mafi11/25Gran Hotel Ciudad de México (Mexico City, Mexico)
This 1899 upmarket department store with a soaring Tiffany stained glass ceiling in the lobby was transformed into a luxury hotel in anticipation of the 1968 Olympic Games. The ceiling, which evokes the country’s Mesoamerican heritage with a lively palette of turquoise and gold, was designed by French artisan Jacques Gruber and also features a Louis XV–style chandelier.
Photo: Izzet Keribar/Getty Images12/25Galeries Lafayette (Paris, France)
One of the city’s most popular shopping destinations, this luxury bazaar in the 9th arrondissement was completed in 1912. Perhaps its most iconic feature is the 141-foot-tall neo-Byzantine dome, which was designed by French glassmaker Jacques Gruber to channel golden light onto the shoppers below, who now reportedly spend over $1.5 billion annually at the fashion emporium.
Photo: Alamy/Rob Walls13/25National Gallery of Victoria (Melbourne, Australia)
Commissioned by the Australian government, this vast art gallery planned by architect Roy Grounds opened its doors in August 1968. At the time, the Great Hall’s soaring stained glass ceiling, installed over a five-year period by Australian artist Leonard French, was the largest in the world and includes panes imported from Belgium and France.
Photo: Andrea Pucci/Getty Images14/25York Minster Chapter House (York, England)
The Chapter House at one of northern Europe’s largest Gothic cathedrals contains a striking collection of medieval stained glass, including windows with some of the earliest recorded depictions of architecture. Glazed in the late 13th century, the geometric glasswork features a scene of the martyrdom of Thomas Becket under an ecclesiastical canopy, plus several full-length figures within a canopied niche.
Photo: Isabel Talleda Guerrero/Getty Images15/25Palau de la Música Catalana (Barcelona, Spain)
Completed by Catalan Art Nouveau architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner in 1908, this steel-framed concert hall boasts a stained glass skylight featuring a three-dimensional depiction of the sun. Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, the music hall contains countless other artworks, including the busts of Anselm Clavé and Beethoven that flank the stage.
Photo: Getty Images/Apexphotos16/25Basilica della Santissima Annunziata del Vastato (Genoa, Italy)
While commissioning artists to work on the structure, the lavish Basilica della Santissima Annunziata del Vastato in Genoa employed some of the major baroque artists of the 17th century. The church was badly damaged by Allied bombings during World War II and had to be restored.
Photo: Getty Images/Flavio Vallenari17/25Melk Abbey (Melk, Austria)
The 17th-century frescoes on the ceiling of Austria's Melk Abbey were completed by the well-regarded baroque painter, Johann Michael Rottmayr. The abbey is located on a rocky outcrop overlooking the river Danube.
Photo: Getty Images/Design Pics Inc.18/25Salzburg Cathedral (Salzburg, Austria)
Designed by Italian architect, Santino Solari, the Salzburg Cathedral in Austria stands out in a city already filled with stunning architecture. Built in the 17th century, the cathedral was the site of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s baptism.
Photo: Getty Images/Julian Elliott Photography19/25Notre-Dame (Paris, France)
Aside from its famous French Gothic architecture, this venerable cathedral contains some of the most iconic stained glass in the world. Pictured here is the South Rose Window—a gift from King Louis IX of France—which was designed by Jean de Chelles and Pierre de Montreuil. Installed in 1260, the window is 42 feet in diameter and contains 84 panes divided into four circles. It serves as a counterpoint to the window on the north side, which was completed a decade prior.
Photo: Courtesy of Javier Senosian20/25Nautilus House (Naucalpan, Mexico)
Designed by Javier Senosian, Nautilus House in Naucalpan, Mexico, is an incredible example of organic architecture. Drawing its name from nautilus, a sea mollusk, the exterior is shaped like the animal’s shell. There are plenty of whimsical details inside including a flower-shaped conversation pit and interior landscaping, though the wall of rainbow stained glass windows is among the most incredible features.
Photo: Francisco Aragão/Getty Images21/25Santuário Dom Bosco (Brasília, Brazil)
The exterior of the Santuário Dom Bosco looks right in line with the modernist structures that have come to define Brasília. But it’s the blue-and-purple interior—made possible through floor-to-ceiling stained glass windows—that make the church stand out. Designed by Carlos Alberto Naves, the worship site was named after John Bosco, a 19th-century Italian Catholic priest.
Photo: Mike Kemp/Getty Images22/25Coventry Cathedral (Coventry, England)
The Baptistry Window, seen here, is located inside Coventry Cathedral. Designed by artist John Piper, he felt that the use of color and abstract pattern was the only way to unite the 198 small openings in the wall that needed filling. The piece measures 85 feet high and was created in collaboration with glassmaker Patrick Reyntiens.
Photo: Getty Images23/25Blue Mosque (Istanbul, Turkey)
There’s no shortage of stunning details to look at inside the Blue Mosque—officially named the Sultan Ahmed Mosque—in Istanbul. The interiors are covered in more than 20,000 handmade ceramic tiles, while over 200 stained glass windows feature an intricate tapestry of dispersed light.
Photo: Courtesy of INUCE24/25Luoyuan Anglican Church (Fuzhou City, China)
Designed by Switzerland-based architecture and development firm INUCE, the Luoyuan Anglican Church is inspired by the region’s terraced tea farms. In a quickly urbanizing area, the Anglican congregation hoped to create a new sanctuary for a growing population. Designed by lead architect Dirk U. Moench, the stained glass façade is made from 107,707 individual pieces of glass and covers 15,198 square feet of surface area (the largest in China). The deep blue color is meant to emulate the bottom of the ocean, where “daunting darkness is dispersed by an aura of divine light,” according to the project description.
Photo: Sergio Formoso/Getty Images25/25Basilica of St. Nazaire and Celsus (Carcassonne, France)
The central stained glass window within the Basilica of Saints Nazaire and Celsus dates to 1280 and is among the oldest in the south of France. Like many religious stained glass windows, the ones in this minor basilica tell a story. In this case, it’s the life and death of Jesus presented in 16 scenes.
