The people of the Middle Ages built magnificent cathedrals, such as Notre Dame in Paris and Canterbury in England. The churches and cathedrals were the gifts of long years of labor and love from the people, both rich and poor. Not everyone could write earnest prayers or beautiful hymns or go on a pilgrimage, but almost everyone could take part in the building of a cathedral. Sometimes a skilled worker would work for years carving one beautiful figure in stone. Care, patience, skill and devotion helped to make the churches built in the Middle Ages among the finest ever erected. These works of superb beauty were fashioned not ‘for art’s sake’ as the Greeks had done, but chiefly for the greater glory of God.

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Until the 12th century Christian churches were usually built in what is known as the Romanesque style of architecture. They had small, arched windows and heavy, thick walls to support the vaulted stone ceiling. A new style of architecture called Gothic developed in Western Europe in about the 12th century. In contrast to the Romanesque style, it had thin walls and many tall, beautifully designed windows, and pointed arches. Its floor plan was always in the form of a cross. Gothic architecture was made possible by the discovery that a flying buttress, a column-like support outside the walls, would hold up a heavy ceiling (providing support from above) as well as heavy walls. The flying buttress is one of the main characteristics of Gothic architecture.

The word "Gargoyle" shares a root with the word "Gargle"; they come from "gargouille", an old French word for "Throat". A true gargoyle is a waterspout. An unusual carved creature that does not serve that purpose is properly called a "Grotesque". 

The art of making stained glass, given new impetus by the Gothic style in the 1140’s, was raised to its zenith a half century later.  The glassmakers' basic formula called for sand, salt and ashes.  Stained glass was made by heating this mixture into a molten mass then coloring it with metallic oxides — copper for red, iron for yellow, cobalt for blue.  Thin fragments of colored glass were worked into the grooves of malleable lead frames, forming panels.  Only after all the panels had been mounted in the window could the glaziers judge the brilliance of their colors and the impact of their design.  Before assembly, enamel paint was applied in certain places to create shading, lines, and details, and the individual pieces were fired in a kiln to harden the pigment.  The windows glowed like huge jewels.  Much original glass has been destroyed, but the remains indicate that the windows were brilliantly colored visual teaching aids for the church.

 The precise origin of this panel is difficult to ascertain since Flemish and French glass painters worked in both countries. Typical of Flemish realism in art are the meticulous representation of the carpenter's tools that Joseph carries on his shoulder and the maternal tenderness of Mary nursing the child, Jesus. Technical advances in glass painting are also evident in the work. As in all late Flemish glass, color is primarily deep in tone, used sparingly, and restricted to garments and details of landscape. White glass predominates, heightened in its effect by additions of silver stain. When seen in a window, these white areas lend clarity to the design. In this particular example the greatest color contrast is reserved for the pearly mantle and deep blue robe of the Virgin, making her the center of attention. Her head and that of the Child are exquisitely painted, while the rest of the scene i rather sketchily drawn. By the end of the Middle Ages, the glaziers’ shops were highly organized and a master employed numerous assistants. This panel is undoubtedly an example of several members of a workshop.