Illustrated Architecture Dictionary

Rose window

The round window with tracery frequently found on the facades of Gothic style churches and less frequently on Romanesque style churches.

See also: Wheel window

In Gothic cathedrals and churches, where a rose is often found above the West Door, the most common subject of the stained glass that it contains is the Last Judgment

When rose windows are used in the transept ends, then one of those windows is frequently dedicated to Mary as the Mother of Jesus.

Sometimes the figurative subject matter is rejected in favor of purely decorative patterns of foliage and bright colors.

"The arrival of rose windows in the cathedrals is somewhat of a mystery. They appeared quite suddenly around the year 1200 and within fifty years had diffused right across France. A few appeared in England, Italy, Spain and Germany; but they remain essentially a French phenomenon, and it is around Paris that we find the greatest gems. in all three early large cathedrals around Paris the largest possible rose windows were incorporated from the first on three sides [facade and transepts]." - Painton Cowen, Rose Windows. Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 1979, p. 8

"The last step in evolution of the Gothic style was to set the rose window into a tier of vertical lights, of staggered height and surmount it by a tapering pointed light so that it became the centre of a vast window composition." - Wikipedia: Rose Window

In England, the use of the rose window was commonly confined to the transepts.

Discussion of rose windows sometimes include mandalas.

See also Michael S. Schneider, The West Rose Window of The Cathedral of St. John The Divine in New York City for an interesting analysis of the geometry of the window

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Exterior examples from Buffalo architecture:

• Illustration above: Exterior - St. John the Baptist RC Church - Wheel window
  
  
• Exterior - St. Louis RC Church

• Interior - St. Francis Xavier RC Church -Wheel window.
  
  
• Exterior - St. Mary of Sorrows / King Urban Life Center.
  
  
• Exterior - St. Paul's Cathedral
  
  
• Exterior - St. Joseph's University RC Church
  
  
• Exterior - St. Louis RC Church
  
  
• Exterior - St. John the Evangelist RC Church
  
  
• Interior - St. John the Evangelist RC Church
  
  
• Interior - St. Joseph's RC Cathedral Pelican and chicks
  
  
• Interior - Corpus Christi RC Church St. Cecilia and angels playing musical instruments
  
  
• Interior - Felician Sisters Convent Chapel Angels playing musical instruments

Other examples:

• Exterior - St. Denis Abbey, Paris, France
  
  
• Interior - St. Denis Abbey, Paris, France
  
  
• Exterior - Sainte Chapelle, Paris, France
  
  
• Interior - Sainte Chapelle, Paris, France