World’s largest stained glass window unveiled in Poland

What is believed to be the world’s largest stained-glass window has been installed in a church in the Polish city of Kraków.

The window, which at 426 square metres (4,585 square feet) in size is slightly larger than a basketball court, was consecrated on Sunday by Kraków’s archbishop, Marek Jędraszewski, at the Church of Lord Jesus the Good Shepherd in the north of the city.

Consisting of 27 vertical sections depicting scenes from the bible, the window took almost two years to create.

“I searched for information on this subject [but] I haven’t found a larger single stained glass window,” said Maciej Szwagierczak, an artist from the studio that carried out the project, quoted in a statement by the archdiocese of Kraków.

A stained glass window at the Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas is claimed to be the world’s largest. But at 325 square metres (3,500 square feet), it is smaller than the newly installed one in Kraków.

The centre of the artwork depicts the resurrected Jesus surrounded by his disciples, martyrs and saints. The window also shows regular people carrying crosses.

The bottom of the artwork depicts scenes from both the Old Testament (for example, the Israelites’ wanderings through the desert and the unveiling of the Ten Commandments to Moses) and the New Testament (such as the Annunciation and the feeding the multitude).

The window was designed by Wincenty Kućma, an 88-year-old Polish sculptor, illustrator and professor at the Kraków Academy of Fine Arts.

The artist’s most important works include the Warsaw Uprising monument in Warsaw and the monument to the Defenders of the Polish Post Office in Gdańsk.

“We get a ready-made design in 1:1 scale, usually already with the colours picked out, and start with copying,” said Szwagierczak, explaining how they brought Kućma’s vision to life. “We then number each piece of the print.”

The glass to make the stained glass is then cut, laid and soldered together from one side. Only after the artist’s final touches are made is the work soldered on the other side and the gap in the joints is filled with putty.

Depending on the humidity, stained glass prepared in this way dries for up to two weeks before it can be installed in the window. In addition to Szwagierczak, three other artists worked on the project.

Kraków is already home to renowned examples of stained glass, including the famous God the Father – Arise work by Stanisław Wyspiański in the Church of St. Francis of Assisi. The city hosts a stained glass museum dedicated to the history of the art form.

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Main image credit: Biuro Prasowe Archidiecezji Krakowskiej

Alicja Ptak

Alicja Ptak is senior editor at Notes from Poland and a multimedia journalist. She previously worked for Reuters.