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Dominican University of California

Sacred, Circles of Light:An Examination of Six San Francisco Bay Area rose Windows and Their Relationship to a Thousand-Year-Old Tradition

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

<p>The development of stained glass rose windows began in Western Europe with the emergence of Gothic religious architecture in the mid-twelfth century. Rose windows occupy a position of symbolic significance in late medieval cathedrals and churches. They employ geometric precision to embody the Neoplatonic synthesis of the concept of cosmic order and the metaphysics of light with the most exalted themes of Christian theology. By virtue of their archetypal form, found throughout the natural world and in the human unconscious, they offer contemplative qualities that transcend the imagery they contain. Since the mid-nineteenth century, the creation of rose windows has resumed. This study examines six San Francisco Bay Area rose windows individually, while relating each one to the larger context of the thousand-year-old tradition to which they belong.</p>

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Arts
Level thesis:degree_level
Master's Thesis
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Humanities
Year
2001

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Wolfe, Neal
Contributors dc:contributor
  • Leslie Ross, PhD
  • Philip Novak, PhD

Subjects

dc:subject × 2

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:scholar.dominican.edu:humanities-print-theses-1226

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Dominican University of California
Base URL
scholar.dominican.edu/do/oai/
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Wolfe, Neal. Sacred, Circles of Light:An Examination of Six San Francisco Bay Area rose Windows and Their Relationship to a Thousand-Year-Old Tradition. Master's Thesis thesis, 2001. https://scholar.dominican.edu/humanities-print-theses/227