What is the significance of the rose window in cultural terms?
The Rose Windows of Northern Europe are the among the grandest of all. In the Middle Ages Rose windows first appeared after the conquering of Moorish Spain and the translation of Arab libraries which contained books on Sacred Geometry – knowledge that had been lost in the Northern European tradition since the Dark Ages. The term ‘rose’ was first used in connection with Aphrodite but then became associated with the Virgin Mary in the Christian tradition. Most of the Great French Cathedrals, and many of their rose windows, are dedicated to Mary as the most perfect expression of human obedience and Divine Love combined. They were meant to inspire devotion and aid prayer and contemplation. There is an interesting article on the subject at: http:// www.stainedglass.org/main_pages/magazine_pages/rose.
