The Art of Stained Glass

Beautiful stained glass windows were part of a church building wave in Northeastern Pennsylvania during the boom years of coal in the latter part of the nineteenth century and the early part of the twentieth centuries. Father Joseph McShane SJ, President of the University of Scranton, wanted to highlight and preserve this important heritage. To create a warm and welcoming environment in the University of Scranton's newly completed Brennan Hall, home of the Kania School of Management, he commissioned digital photographs of many of these windows. Large prints were made, mounted in large glass frames and placed on the walls of the five floors of Brennan Hall. This book celebrates the religious significance, artistic beauty, and regional importance of these windows by reproducing them in full colour. Dr. Virginia Raguin of Holy Cross College, a well-known stained glass scholar, gives them context with a general historical/artistic introduction to the book and briefer introductions to the eight churches involved. Maureen Brennan briefly summaries key historical and informative data for each window, including the many Tiffanys. These windows and this book are a tribute to the religious and artistic vigour of an important American region in its prime.