Project Notes
South Transept Window
Lynchburg Stained glass transformed the south sanctuary wall of Mountain View United Methodist Church into a luminous illustration of Jesus calling Simon Peter and Andrew to be his disciples. The window design uses intricately-cut and ornately patterned “opalescent” glass, inspired by the brilliant stained-glass work of Louis Comfort Tiffany from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. As the name implies, opalescent glass incorporates a whitish opacity that gives the glass a milky appearance. The density of the glass is controlled by the amount of “opal” added: less creates a glass sheet that has some areas of translucence with milky streaks, while more opal greatly reduces transparency. Opalescent glass is nearly always difficult, if not impossible, to see through, which nicely diffuses harsh sunlight to create a soft glow. Opalescent stained glass also comes in a variety of unique textures, distinctly evident in these windows.
