Stained Glass | Can’t Sleep? Learn About Light, Color, and Glass

Stained Glass | Can’t Sleep? Learn About Light, Color, and Glass

From I Can’t Sleep by ju

June 1, 2026 · 36 min · Season 8 · Episode 536

About this episode

This episode explores the art and history of stained glass, detailing its creation and significance in storytelling through light.

Stained glass has transformed sunlight into art for more than a thousand years. This episode explores how colored glass is made, how artisans assemble intricate windows from thousands of individual pieces, and why churches, cathedrals, and public buildings have long used light itself as a storytelling medium. Along the way, you’ll hear about medieval workshops, famous stained glass traditions, and the surprisingly complex techniques required to turn sand, metal oxides, and sunlight into enduring works of art. It’s steady and consistent, with no whispering and no sudden changes, just enough to give your mind something to follow as you wind down. Happy sleeping! Read with permission from Stained Glass, Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stained_glass), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. — Ad-free episodes: ⁠icantsleep.supportingcast.fm⁠Have a topic in mind? ⁠Request a topic⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: ju

Topics covered

  • stained glass
  • art
  • light
  • color
  • craftsmanship
  • history

Keywords

  • stained glass
  • artisans
  • colored glass
  • medieval workshops
  • techniques
  • churches
  • cathedrals

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Wikipedia

Books & works: Stained Glass

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